KSA, Egypt among the leading destinations in tourism growth

UNWTO World Tourism Barometer figures indicate that the Middle East clocked up 46 million international tourist arrivals in 2007, and that the region continues to be one of the tourism success stories of the decade so far, reported Travel and Tourism News.

“The region is emerging as a strong destination with visitor numbers climbing much faster than the world total, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt among the leading destinations in growth in 2007,” says the UNWTO report. Worldwide there were 898 million international tourism arrivals in 2007, a six percent increase over 2006.

“Economic and tourism growth are driven by emerging markets and developing economies. While mature markets remain the leading destinations in the world, the faster growth rate of new markets confirms UNWTO’s main message of tourism’s potential for the developing world,” said UNWTO’s Secretary General Francesco Frangialli.

Of the additional 52 million worldwide arrivals, Europe received some 19 million and Asia and the Pacific 17 million. The Americas was up by around six million, Africa by three million and the Middle East by five million.