International tourism revenues rose 11% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, to $1.7 trillion, the UN World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) reported on Tuesday.
“We are seeing significant growth in tourism revenues across many destinations in early 2025. The average expenditure per international trip in 2024 was $1,170, which is almost 20% higher than the pre-pandemic average of $1,000,” the report said.
According to the organization, Spain, the world’s second-largest tourist destination, reported a 9% increase in tourism revenues in the first two months of 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024). In the Southern Mediterranean region of Europe, Turkey (+7%), Greece, Italy, and Portugal (all three countries saw 4% growth) showed good results in the first quarter. France recorded a 6% increase in international tourism revenues, Norway 20%, and Denmark 11%.
According to UN Tourism, the growth in tourism revenues in Asia was even more noticeable. In Japan, it amounted to 34% in the first quarter, in Nepal – 18%, in South Korea and Mongolia – 14% each.
The United States, which has the highest tourism revenues in the world, reported a 3% increase in January-March 2025.
“Revised data show that total international tourism export revenues (revenues and passenger transport) grew by 11% (in real terms) and reached a record US$2 trillion in 2024, which is about 15% higher than the pre-pandemic level. This is about 6% of total global exports of goods and services and 23% of global trade in services,” the report says.
According to UN Tourism, the growth in international tourism revenues in 2024 is linked to increased spending on overseas travel in the United Kingdom (+16% compared to 2023), Canada (+13%), the United States (+12%), Australia (+8%), and France (+7%). Travelers from China, the world’s largest spender on foreign tourism, spent 30% more abroad in 2024 than a year earlier and 3% more than before the pandemic.
Saudi Arabia (+17%), Spain (+14%), Belgium (+14%), the Netherlands (+13%) and Austria (+11%) also reported growth in travel spending.
