In Europe and the Middle East, international visitor numbers may return to pre-pandemic levels this year following a greater than anticipated rebound in 2022. Despite this, it is anticipated that travelers will seek for better value and stay closer to home in reaction to the difficult economic environment.

International tourist arrivals could reach 80% to 95% of pre-pandemic levels this year, according to UNWTO’s projections for 2023, depending on the severity of the economic slowdown, the pace of travel recovery in Asia and the Pacific, and the progress of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, among other factors.

Even though the industry must contend with economic, health, and geopolitical problems, the UNWTO anticipates that the rebound will last through 2023. An important step toward the recovery of the tourism industry in Asia and the Pacific as well as globally has been the recent easing of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in China, the largest outbound market in 2019. The resumption of travel from China is expected to be advantageous for Asian destinations in especially in the short run. However, factors including the accessibility and expense of plane travel, rules regarding visas, and COVID-19-related limitations at the destinations will influence this. A total of 32 nations, largely in Asia and Europe, had put explicit travel restrictions on travel from China into effect by mid-January.

Nevertheless, destinations in the area and beyond will continue to profit from strong US demand, supported by a high US currency. Due in part to the euro’s depreciation against the dollar, Europe will continue to see robust US travel arrivals.

This has been made possible by an increase in average expenditure per trip brought on by longer stays, travelers’ propensity to spend more at their destination, and rising inflationary expenses for travel. However, the state of the economy may result in travelers being more frugal in 2023, with lower spending, shorter vacations, and travel closer to home.

In comparison to the same period in 2022, the most recent UNWTO Confidence Index indicates cautious optimism for January to April. This optimism is supported by the opening up of Asia and excellent spending figures from both established and up-and-coming tourist source economies in 2022, with France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, India, and Saudi Arabia all reporting strong results.