MADRID: The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) announced on Tuesday that 1.4 billion people travelled internationally in 2024, marking a strong recovery for global tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the industry's worst crisis in 2020-2021.

According to the Madrid-based UNWTO, this represents an 11 per cent increase, equivalent to 140 million more travellers than the previous year, bringing international tourism back to pre-pandemic levels, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The Middle East, Europe and Africa saw the highest growth in visitor numbers compared to 2019, with the Middle East recording 95 million visitors (32 per cent increase), Africa reaching 74 million (7 per cent rise), and Europe welcoming 747 million (1 per cent growth).

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that global tourism fully recovered in 2024, with many destinations surpassing 2019 levels in both tourist arrivals and revenue.

He added that strong demand is expected to drive further growth in 2025.

-- BERNAMA