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World > Travel & Transportation > Travel Statistics

Tourism by World Region

In 2006, most international travel was undertaken for the purpose of leisure and recreation (51%), reaching a total of 430 million. Business travel accounted for some 16% of the total (131 million) and another 27% covered travel for other motives, such as visiting friends and relatives, religious purposes, and health treatments (225 million).

Just about half of all international tourists arrived over land by road (43%) or rail (4%) to their destination in 2006. Air transport represented 46% of arrivals and transport over water accounted for 7%.

Region	2006 market share
Europe	54.4%
Northern Europe	6.5
Western Europe	17.7
Central/Eastern Europe	10.8
Southern/Mediterranean Europe	19.5
Asia and the Pacific	19.8
Northeast Asia	11.1%
Southeast Asia	6.4
Oceania	1.2
South Asia	1.0
Americas	16.1
North America	10.7
Caribbean	2.3
Central America	0.8%
South America	2.2
Africa	4.8
North Africa	1.8
Subsaharan Africa	3.0
Middle East	4.9

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

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