Global travel growth will reach a significant milestone in 2024 as international tourism arrivals are expected to hit 1,5 billion, surpassing 2019 numbers.
The record is one of the trends revealed in the WTM Global Travel Report in conjunction with Tourism Economics, which was unveiled at World Travel Market London on November 5.
The report highlighted that by 2030, overnight tourism arrivals i.e. international visitors staying at least one night were expected to have grown by over 30 to two billion, aided by emerging outbound markets.
Spend is also rising, with global leisure tourism expenditure now worth over US5,5 trillion R90 trillion, 24 above 2019 values.
Most significantly, consumers appear to be prioritising travel, and giving it a greater share of their spending in the major advanced economies - more than in the 10 years running up to the pandemic.
