Record one billion tourists took international trips in 2012, says UN report

VANCOUVER DESI

The Indonesian resort island of Bali remains one of the most popular destinations in the Pacific region for tourists. Asia and the Pacific Rim experienced the largest increase in international arrivals in 2012 of anywhere in the world. Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images

One billion.

That’s how many tourists went abroad in 2012, according to a report published Tuesday – with the Asia and Pacific region experiencing the biggest jump in growth with a seven per cent surge in international visitors last year.

And in spite of a less-than-favourable economic climate, the region, which includes countries like India and Japan, is expected to see another five-to-six per cent growth in international tourism in 2013.

The report featuring the record-breaking figure of total tourists was released by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“Tourism is thus one of the pillars that should be supported by governments around the world as part of the solution to stimulating economic growth,” UNWTO General Secretary Taleb Rifai was quoted as saying.

Around 1.03 billion tourists visited foreign countries, 39 million more than in 2011, the report said, with a total of 233 million travelling to Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Europe remained the most popular region in the world with 535 million arrivals.

Meanwhile, international tourism in the U.S. and Canada both grew by seven per cent, while the biggest losers turned out to be France and Italy where tourism dropped by seven and two per cent respectively.

- With a file from IANS

Tags: India, Japan, tourism, UN