880 million travelers last year, this year to be better: UNWTO

Many countries all around the world saw dramatic drops in lucrative tourism dollars last year, with the global average recording a 4% drop in international travelers says the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

According to the latest figures 880 million arrivals were recorded by people travelling for business, leisure and other purposes, a 4% drop from 2008 figures.

Despite this drop, the UNWTO says it saw a marked upswing in the fourth quarter, without which the figures would have been worse. Subsequently it has deduced that 2010 will see a rebound to the effect of some three to four percent.

"The global economic crisis aggravated by the uncertainty around the A(H1N1) pandemic turned 2009 into one of the toughest years for the tourism sector," said Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General.

"However, the results of recent months suggest that recovery is underway, and even somewhat earlier and at a stronger pace than initially expected."

Breaking 2009 into quarters, the first quarter saw international arrivals shrink by 10%, the second quarter saw a smaller drop of 7%, while the third recorded a drop of 2%. In comparison, fourth quarter 2009 saw an upswing of 2 %.

These recent figures also back a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report which stated that it was seeing a global recovery which was "significantly" faster than expected.

Source = e-Travel Blackboard: W.X
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