Foreign visitors in Hanoi
The UN Tourism reported that nearly 690 million international trips were made worldwide between January and June, around 33 million more than in the same period last year. While recovery has been uneven across regions, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said global tourism continued to show resilience.
Among major destinations, Japan and Vietnam led with 21 per cent growth, followed by Morocco at 19 per cent, South Korea at 15 per cent, and Malaysia and Indonesia at 9 per cent each.
Earlier UN Tourism data showed Vietnam ranked sixth globally for international visitor growth in the first quarter, with arrivals up 30 per cent year on year. The country also ranked second in recovery of inbound tourists, up 34 per cent compared with 2019, and fourth in growth of total tourism revenue, up 29 per cent from 2024.
According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office, more than six million foreign tourists arrived in the first quarter, the highest ever for a single quarter. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism called the figures a bright spot for Asia-Pacific, where many destinations are still struggling to recover from Covid-19.
Africa recorded the strongest regional growth at 12 per cent, with North Africa up 14 per cent and sub-Saharan destinations up 11 per cent. Asia-Pacific grew 11 per cent, reaching 92 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. North-East Asia surged 20 per cent year on year but remained 8 per cent below 2019.
Europe received nearly 340 million tourists in the first half, up 4 per cent on 2024 and 7 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.
A UN Tourism survey in September highlighted high transport and accommodation costs as the sector’s biggest challenge in 2025. “Tourism inflation” is forecast to ease from 8 per cent in 2024 to 6.8 per cent this year, but remains well above pre-pandemic levels of around 3.1 per cent and the general inflation rate of 4.3 per cent. This could push travellers to cut costs by choosing closer destinations, shortening trips or reducing spending.
