Tourism by World Region

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Tourism by World Region

Worldwide tourism experienced a 0.6% decrease in 2001, which is somewhat less than what was feared after Sept. 11, 2001. The Americas suffered the most (6.0% decrease), followed by South Asia (4.5%), and the Middle East (down 2.5%). Europe also experienced a slight decrease of 0.7%, but it remains the world's top tourism region.

	Arrivals (in millions)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
World	696.8	692.6	–0.6%	100.0%
Africa	27.2	28.4	4.3	4.1
Americas	128.5	120.8	–6.0	17.4
East Asia and the Pacific	109.2	115.2	5.5	16.6
Europe	402.5	399.7	–0.7%	57.7%
Middle East	23.2	22.7	–2.5	3.3
South Asia	6.1	5.8	–4.5	0.8

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

Africa

Africa experienced a 4.6% increase in international tourism in 2001. South Africa remains the most important destination, despite suffering a 1.5% decrease in arrivals. The countries enjoying the biggest growth last year were Namibia, Tanzania, and Nigeria.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Africa	27,223	28,405	4.3%	100.0%
South Africa	6,001	5,908	–1.5	20.8
Tunisia	5,057	5,387	6.5	19.0
Morocco	4,113	4,223	2.7	14.9
Zimbabwe	1,866	—	—	—
Botswana	995	—	—	—
Kenya	899	841	–6.5%	3.0%
Algeria	866	901	4.1	3.2
Nigeria	813	955	17.5	3.4

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

Americas

All of the Americas, excluding Central America, suffered declines in international tourism in 2001, especially the United States (10.7% decrease). The Caribbean countries did not repeat the success they had in 2000.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Americas	128,497	120,840	–6.0%	100.0%
United States	50,945	45,490	–10.7	37.6
Mexico	20,641	19,811	–4.0	16.4
Canada	19,663	19,697	0.2	16.3
Brazil	5,313	4,773	–10.2	3.9
Puerto Rico	3,341	3,551	6.3%	2.9%
Dominican Republic	2,973	2,778	–6.6	2.3
Argentina	2,909	2,629	–9.6	2.2
Uruguay	1,968	1,892	–3.9	1.6

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

Europe

Europe failed to repeat the record results posted in the Jubilee Year of 2000. But in relative terms, the decrease of 0.7% does not appear that bad. Southern and Eastern Europe are growing steadily, with Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia welcoming the return of market demand. Bulgaria was a success story in 2001, while Poland suffered a decline of 13.8%. The greatest decline was experienced by Israel, 50.5%, due to the Palestinian conflict.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Europe	402,539	399,711	–0.7%	100.0%
France	75,580	76,508	1.2	19.1
Spain	47,898	49,519	3.4	12.4
Italy	41,181	39,055	–5.2	9.8
United Kingdom	25,211	22,833	–9.4%	5.7%
Germany	18,983	17,861	–5.9	4.5
Poland	17,400	15,000	–13.8	3.8
Hungary	15,571	15,340	–1.6	3.8

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

Middle East

On average, international arrivals were down 2.5% from the year before. The greatest success was experienced in Lebanon and Jordan, while Egypt suffered a decline of 14.8%.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Middle East	23,237	22,653	–2.5%	100.0%
Egypt	5,116	4,357	–14.8	19.2
Jordan	1,427	1,478	3.6	6.5
Syria	1,416	1,318	–6.9%	5.8%
Lebanon	742	837	12.9	3.7

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

East Asia and the Pacific

In contrast to the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific continued with strong growth, as seen in 2001, averaging 5.5%. China, together with Hong Kong and Macau, is becoming the unrivaled leader of Asian tourism, followed by Malaysia and Thailand.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
East Asia and the Pacific	109,171	115,156	5.5%	100.0%
China	31,229	33,167	6.2	28.8
Hong Kong (China)	13,059	13,725	5.1	11.9
Malaysia	10,222	12,775	25.0	11.1
Thailand	9,579	10,133	5.8%	8.8%
Singapore	6,917	6,726	–2.8	5.8
Korea, Republic of	5,322	5,147	–3.3	4.5
Indonesia	5,084	5,154	1.8	4.5
Japan	4,757	4,772	0.3	4.1

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

South Asia

South Asia felt the impact of the increased tension between India and Pakistan and the war in Afghanistan. Arrivals were down 4.5%, with Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka suffering the biggest declines.

Region and country	Arrivals (in thousands)		Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
Region and country	2000	2001	Percent change 2000/2001	2001 market share
South Asia	6,091	5,818	–4.5%	100.0%
India	2,649	2,537	–4.2	43.6
Iran	1,342	1,402	4.5	24.1
Pakistan	557	500	–10.2	8.6
Maldives	467	461	–1.3%	7.9%
Nepal	464	363	–21.8	6.2
Sri Lanka	400	337	–15.9	5.8

Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO). Web: www.world-tourism.org .

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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