January 23, 2026 | 11:03 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Global tourism hit new records in 2025 with 1.52 billion tourist arrivals, according to United Nations (UN) Tourism data released on Tuesday, January 20, 2025. This marks 4 percent growth compared to the previous year's record of 1.4 billion tourists.
As reported by Japan Today, Europe was the most popular destination last year with 793 million international arrivals, up 4 percent compared to 2024 and 6 percent above pre-pandemic levels.
Africa saw even greater growth with 8 percent, amounting to 81 million tourist arrivals. Morocco and Tunisia posted particularly strong results.
Meanwhile, Asia and Pacific saw a 6 percent growth with 331 million tourists in 2025, up 91 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The growth in global tourism numbers is driven by improved accessibility, higher international flight capacity, visa facilitation in many countries, and strong demand from major tourism markets.
Tourism Revenue
Global tourism revenue reached $1.9 trillion or around Rp32,000 trillion in 2025, a 5 percent growth from the previous year.
UN Secretary-General for Tourism, Shaikha Alnuwais, stated that travel demand remained high throughout 2025 despite high inflation in the tourism service sector and uncertainty due to geopolitical tensions. She predicts that this trend will continue this year.
"We expect this positive trend to continue into 2026 as the global economy is expected to remain steady and destinations still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels fully recover," Alnuwais said.
The Winter Olympics in Italy and the joint hosting of the World Cup by the United States, Canada, and Mexico will help drive international tourism in 2026. But ongoing geopolitical tensions and conflicts continue to pose significant risks for tourism in 2026.
Highest Tourism Growth
Several countries experienced significant growth in visitor numbers. Bhutan saw a 30 percent increase in foreign tourists. The small Himalayan kingdom located between India and China is renowned for its natural beauty and ancient Buddhist culture, and has recently improved its flight connections.
Other destinations with double-digit increases include Curaçao, a small Caribbean island that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Sri Lanka.
But the increase in tourist arrivals is not always seen in a positive light, as several popular destinations prompt authorities to curb tourist pressure. Japan, for example, has introduced entry fees and daily limits on the number of climbers ascending Mount Fuji. Rome has also begun charging admission to the Trevi Fountain starting from February.
North America, on the other hand, is seeing a 1.4 percent dip in tourist arrivals to 135.4 million in 2025. The decline occurred as U.S. President Donald Trump issued controversial foreign policies, such as threatening to annex Canada and Greenland, which discouraged some potential visitors. His administration also tightened entry restrictions to the United States as part of a crackdown on migration and announced plans to screen the social media history of visa applicants.
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