The tourism industry is getting back to full flight, according to a new report by the World&nbsp;Tourism&nbsp;Organization (WTO). The UN agency said international tourism levels will be slightly higher than the pre-pandemic levels in 2024, primarily due to a resurgence in Asia.&nbsp;

The pent-up demand, increased air connectivity and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations are expected to contribute to a full recovery of the sector by the end of 2024. Initial estimates suggest that the recovery will be 2 per cent above than 2019 levels.&nbsp;

"The latest UNWTO data underscores tourism's resilience and rapid recovery, with pre-pandemic numbers expected by the end of 2024. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities everywhere," said&nbsp;UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

In 2023, Asia and the Pacific reached 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, following the reopening of several attractive destinations. South Asia contributed majorly to the figure&nbsp;by reaching 87 per cent recovery of 2019 levels while North-East Asia hovered at around 55 per cent.&nbsp;

The Madrid-based agency said there is still "significant room for recovery across Asia" and that "&nbsp;reopening of several source markets and destinations will boost recovery in the region and globally".&nbsp;

The agency also said China's outbound and inbound tourism will accelerate in 2024 with better visa facilitation and improved air capacity. Last year in November, China applied visa-free travel for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on a trial basis till November 30, 2024.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/world-tourism-day-how-these-colorful-homes-tell-the-story-of-indias-little-portugal-639911">Watch |&nbsp;World Tourism Day: How these colorful homes tell the story of India's little Portugal</a>

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<h2>How did international tourism fare in 2023?</h2>

According to UNWTO, 1.3 million tourists travelled to foreign destinations globally in 2023 which was 88 per cent&nbsp;of pre-pandemic levels and 44 per cent higher than 2022.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;UNWTO World Tourism Barometer stated that the Middle East led the recovery in relative terms by being the only region to overcome pre-pandemic levels with arrivals 22 per&nbsp;cent above 2019.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/trending/world-tourism-day-top-10-most-visited-countries-in-the-world-1695804355606">Also read | World Tourism Day: Top 10 Most-Visited Countries in the World</a>

Europe, the world's most visited region, reached 94 per cent of 2019 levels, primarily due to tourists from the United States and intra-regional demand hitting a high.&nbsp;

Preliminary estimates indicate that the economic impact of the tourism industry's recovery led to receipts reaching $1.4 trillion in 2023, which was about&nbsp;93 per cent&nbsp;of the $1.5 trillion earned by destinations in 2019.

(With inputs from agencies)

The tourism industry is getting back to full flight, according to a new report by the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The UN agency said international tourism levels will be slightly higher than the pre-pandemic levels in 2024, primarily due to a resurgence in Asia.

The tourism industry is getting back to full flight, according to a new report by the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The UN agency said international tourism levels will be slightly higher than the pre-pandemic levels in 2024, primarily due to a resurgence in Asia. The pent-up demand, increased air connectivity and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations are expected to contribute to a full recovery of the sector by the end of 2024. Initial estimates suggest that the recovery will be 2 per cent above than 2019 levels. "The latest UNWTO data underscores tourism's resilience and rapid recovery, with pre-pandemic numbers expected by the end of 2024. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities everywhere," said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. In 2023, Asia and the Pacific reached 65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, following the reopening of several attractive destinations. South Asia contributed majorly to the figure by reaching 87 per cent recovery of 2019 levels while North-East Asia hovered at around 55 per cent. The Madrid-based agency said there is still "significant room for recovery across Asia" and that " reopening of several source markets and destinations will boost recovery in the region and globally". The agency also said China's outbound and inbound tourism will accelerate in 2024 with better visa facilitation and improved air capacity. Last year in November, China applied visa-free travel for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia on a trial basis till November 30, 2024. Watch | World Tourism Day: How these colorful homes tell the story of India's little Portugal × How did international tourism fare in 2023? According to UNWTO, 1.3 million tourists travelled to foreign destinations globally in 2023 which was 88 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and 44 per cent higher than 2022. The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer stated that the Middle East led the recovery in relative terms by being the only region to overcome pre-pandemic levels with arrivals 22 per cent above 2019. Also read | World Tourism Day: Top 10 Most-Visited Countries in the World Europe, the world's most visited region, reached 94 per cent of 2019 levels, primarily due to tourists from the United States and intra-regional demand hitting a high. Preliminary estimates indicate that the economic impact of the tourism industry's recovery led to receipts reaching $1.4 trillion in 2023, which was about 93 per cent of the $1.5 trillion earned by destinations in 2019. (With inputs from agencies)

Global tourism industry to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024, Asia to contribute to rise: UN

Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the Kashmir Valley and it has been incurring losses in crores due to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">pandemic</a>. However, now that the covid positive patients are&nbsp;decreasing in the valley, the tourism department along with the health department are on a mission to vaccinate each individual related to this industry.&nbsp;

Special vaccination drives are being done for the tourism stakeholders in the valley —&nbsp;around 80 per cent people in the city and&nbsp;90 per cent in the hill stations such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg — have been vaccinated.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/iit-madras-alumni-contribute-2-million-for-covid-19-relief-efforts-in-india-389935" hreflang="en">IIT Madras alumni contribute $2 million for COVID-19 relief efforts in India</a>

"We are expecting the situation to improve and things to come back to normal. Cases are coming down and we are expecting in the near future there will certainly be a revival of tourism sector again, and for that we have already planned an action plan which is going for 100 per cent mass vaccination of our stakeholders and the staff and similarly we will also be giving a lot of training to our stakeholders — be it hoteliers, shikara wala's, pony wala's and houseboat owners — and that is the way we carry forward tourism season successful", said G N Itoo, Director Tourism.&nbsp;

The tourist stakeholders in the valley are extremely happy about these vaccination drives. They believe it will send across a positive message across the world that Kashmir is safe to travel.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/tamil-nadu-covid-19-antibodies-detected-in-23-samples-of-second-sero-survey-third-survey-from-july-august-389923" hreflang="en">Tamil Nadu: COVID-19 antibodies detected in 23% samples of second sero survey; third survey from July-August</a>

''Unfortunately, the second wave of covid is hectic and all the stakeholders are under lockdown, and it hit us very badly. You can say it was unfortunate and bad luck for the sector. We are hoping in the coming time it may pick up. The tourism department has started mass vaccination and every tourism player has to go through this drive, they have to vaccinate themselves. You will feel safe and secure, the tourists will feel confident to come here, we have to be ready and vaccination is one such thing,'' said Manzoor Pakhtoon from&nbsp;United Tourism Forum.

Now, these tourist players are waiting for the lockdown to be lifted so that they can welcome the tourists again in the valley.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the Kashmir Valley and it has been incurring losses in crores due to the pandemic. However, now that the covid positive patients are decreasing in the valley, the tourism department along with the health department are on a mission to vaccinate each individual related to this industry.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the Kashmir Valley and it has been incurring losses in crores due to the pandemic. However, now that the covid positive patients are decreasing in the valley, the tourism department along with the health department are on a mission to vaccinate each individual related to this industry. Special vaccination drives are being done for the tourism stakeholders in the valley — around 80 per cent people in the city and 90 per cent in the hill stations such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg — have been vaccinated. Also read | IIT Madras alumni contribute $2 million for COVID-19 relief efforts in India "We are expecting the situation to improve and things to come back to normal. Cases are coming down and we are expecting in the near future there will certainly be a revival of tourism sector again, and for that we have already planned an action plan which is going for 100 per cent mass vaccination of our stakeholders and the staff and similarly we will also be giving a lot of training to our stakeholders — be it hoteliers, shikara wala's, pony wala's and houseboat owners — and that is the way we carry forward tourism season successful", said G N Itoo, Director Tourism. The tourist stakeholders in the valley are extremely happy about these vaccination drives. They believe it will send across a positive message across the world that Kashmir is safe to travel. Also read | Tamil Nadu: COVID-19 antibodies detected in 23% samples of second sero survey; third survey from July-August ''Unfortunately, the second wave of covid is hectic and all the stakeholders are under lockdown, and it hit us very badly. You can say it was unfortunate and bad luck for the sector. We are hoping in the coming time it may pick up. The tourism department has started mass vaccination and every tourism player has to go through this drive, they have to vaccinate themselves. You will feel safe and secure, the tourists will feel confident to come here, we have to be ready and vaccination is one such thing,'' said Manzoor Pakhtoon from United Tourism Forum. Now, these tourist players are waiting for the lockdown to be lifted so that they can welcome the tourists again in the valley.

Tourism industry mass vaccinating tourist stake holders in J&K

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