More than 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally between January and September 2025, according to UN Tourism’s latest World Tourism Barometer, released on 27 November. The total marks an increase of around 50 million trips compared with the same period in 2024, signalling steady demand despite the inflationary pressures and geopolitical uncertainty that continue to shape traveller behaviour.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “International tourism has continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of international arrivals and, most importantly, in receipts, despite high inflation in tourism services and geopolitical tensions. Africa and Europe, in particular, stand out for their results.”
For travel insurers, the data highlights sustained outbound movement across major markets, coupled with uneven regional recovery that may influence exposure patterns and claims risk.
Africa led global growth with a 10% rise in arrivals for the year to September, including double-digit increases in both North Africa (+11%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (+10%). Europe remained the most visited region, receiving 625 million travellers in the year to date (+4%), supported by a strong northern hemisphere summer. The Americas grew 2%, though performance diverged sharply by subregion, with South America up 9% and North America down 1%.
Asia-Pacific arrivals rose 8%, reaching 90% of pre-pandemic volumes, while the Middle East recorded 2% growth and remains 33% above 2019 levels.
Air and accommodation indicators confirm robust underlying demand: the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 7% rise in international air traffic through to September, and global hotel occupancy reached 68% in the same month. Visitor spending also remained solid across key inbound and outbound markets.
UN Tourism’s forecast of 3–5% global growth in 2025 remains in reach, though elevated travel costs and geopolitical risks may influence traveller decision-making and, for insurers, the risk landscape in the coming months.
The ITIJ team recently asked industry experts about the trends shaping the year ahead, from the impact of geopolitical tensions and climate change to the rise of solo travel.