Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing destinations in the first half of 2025, according to the latest report from the UN Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism).
Global tourist arrivals rose 5% year-on-year in the first six months, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by 4%. Nearly 690 million international trips were made between January and June, 33 million more than the same period in 2024.
Vietnam and Japan topped the growth chart with a surge of 21%, followed by Morocco (19%), the Republic of Korea (15%), and Malaysia and Indonesia (both 9%).
The first half of 2025 brought gains in both arrivals and revenues across most destinations, supporting local economies, jobs and livelihoods.
The latest edition of the World Tourism Barometer, cited by Vietnam’s National Authority of Tourism, showed regional variations.
Africa led with 14% growth, while the Asia–Pacific continued its recovery with an 11% increase, reaching 92% of pre-pandemic levels (still 8% below 2019). Northeast Asia grew by 20%, though still slightly below 2019 levels.
Among top performers were Japan and Vietnam (21%), the Republic of Korea (15%), Morocco (19%), and Mexico and the Netherlands (7%). Malaysia, Indonesia (9%) and Hong Kong (China) (7%) also posted increases, though still below 2019 volumes.
Europe remained the world’s most visited region, receiving 340 million arrivals, up 4% year-on-year and 7% above 2019. Northern Europe, Western Europe, and the Southern Mediterranean increased by 3%. Central and Eastern Europe experienced a strong recovery with a 9% growth, but it is still 11% lower than in 2019.
In the Americas, arrivals rose 3% overall. South America recorded robust 14% growth, Central America gained 2%, while North America stagnated due to slight declines in the US and Canada. The Caribbean also posted no growth, reflecting weaker outbound demand from the US.
The Middle East dipped 4% compared to 2024, but still stood 29% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Major global destinations such as France and Spain each saw 5% growth.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), international air traffic and seat capacity both rose 7% from January to June. Global hotel occupancy reached 69% in June (down slightly from 70% a year earlier) and 71% in July, matching 2024 levels.
Tourism receipts grew strongly in leading markets: Japan (up 18%), the UK (13% from January–March), France (9%), Spain (8%) and Turkey (8%).
In 2024, international tourism revenue climbed 11% to a record 1.734 trillion USD, 14% above pre-pandemic levels, reflecting strong spending by global travellers.
Tourism outlook
The September survey of the UN Tourism Panel of Experts and Tourism Confidence Index highlighted persistent headwinds: high transport and accommodation costs, along with broader economic pressures, remain the two biggest challenges in 2025.
Tourism-related inflation is projected to ease from 8% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2025, still better than the pre-pandemic average of 3.1% and higher than the global inflation rate of 4.3%.
Travelers are expected to be more value-conscious, opting for closer destinations, shorter stays or reduced spending to cope with rising costs.
Geopolitical and economic uncertainty is also weighing on sentiment.
Consumer confidence decline ranked as the third most influential factor in the September 2025 survey, followed by broader geopolitical risks, rising trade tariffs, and new travel requirements.
The latest UN Tourism Confidence Index shows a modest improvement for the final four months of 2025. On a scale of 0–200 (with 100 meaning performance remains unchanged), experts rated September–December at 120 points, up from 114 in May–August.
About half of surveyed experts expressed optimism for the remainder of the year, with 44% predicting “better” results and 6% “much better.” One-third expect performance similar to 2024, while only 16% foresee a decline.
This cautious optimism is further supported by rising expectations for the full year 2025, with 60% of experts now anticipating “better” or “much better” outcomes, up from 49% in May.
Despite uncertainties, international tourism demand is projected to remain robust through the end of the year. UN Tourism maintains its forecast of 3–5% growth in international arrivals for 2025./.
