Picture: iafrica
The number of tourists in the world this year will pass the one-billion mark despite the economic crisis, the head of the World Tourism Organisation said Wednesday.
The number of people making tourist trips in 2012 is set to record a rise of 3 % compared to 2011 in recession-bound Europe, 7 % in Asia and 4 % worldwide, he said.
"When you have one billion international travellers, it's one out of six people of the world that cross borders," he said.
That indicated a strong recovery compared to 2009, when world tourism declined 3.8 % at the height of the financial crisis, though the rise has stopped accelerating after growth of 6.6 % in 2010.
He said his organisation forecasts that by 2030 the number of tourists worldwide would reach 1.8 billion.
The number of people making tourist trips in 2012 is set to record a rise of 3 % compared to 2011 in recession-bound Europe, 7 % in Asia and 4 % worldwide, he said.
"When you have one billion international travellers, it's one out of six people of the world that cross borders," he said.
That indicated a strong recovery compared to 2009, when world tourism declined 3.8 % at the height of the financial crisis, though the rise has stopped accelerating after growth of 6.6 % in 2010.
He said his organisation forecasts that by 2030 the number of tourists worldwide would reach 1.8 billion.
