Finland Times

International tourist arrivals rose by 5 percent around the world to 1.08 billion, it was confirmed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Monday.

Despite the difficult economic situation in many parts of the world, 52 million more people made an international visit than in 2012 with the trend expected to continue into the current year.

UNTWO had previously predicted a global tourism growth of between 4 and 4.5 percent for 2013.

 The trend was led by Asia and the Pacific, where tourism growth was 6 percent with South East Asia performing especially well and enjoying growth of 10 percent in international arrivals.

Twenty-three percent of all international tourists now visit the Asia Pacific region. The region boasts the second largest regional market in the world, although still a long way behind Europe, which attracted 53 percent of all arrivals in 2013.

 Africa also registered growth of 6 percent, due to the relative recovery of North Africa.

Despite the economic problems Europe enjoyed 5 percent growth, thanks partly to a 7 percent rise in international arrivals in the central and eastern parts of the continent.

 "It is particularly impressive as the countries leading the growth are those most hit by the crisis, perhaps reflecting a tendency to travel close to home," explained Rifai.

China and Russia stand out as the two most important source markets. China, which became the largest source market in the world in 2012, witnessed a 28 percent rise in spending in the first three quarters of 2013.

 "International tourism exceeded expectations in 2013," Rifai said.

The development was remarkable and a manifestation of the capacity of the industry to adjust itself and be flexible, through the creation of new and specialized products, the insistence of value for money and the opening of new markets, he said.

He also noted the importance of the rise of the middle class in regions such as Asia and the increased ease of getting a visa as factors for the increased number of travelers.