Tourism by World Region, 2001
Tourism by World Region
Worldwide tourism experienced a 0.6% decrease in 2001, which is somewhat less than what was feared after Sept. 11, 2001. The Americas suffered the most (6.0% decrease), followed by South Asia (4.5%), and the Middle East (down 2.5%). Europe also experienced a slight decrease of 0.7%, but it remains the world's top tourism region.
| Arrivals (in millions) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| World | 696.8 | 692.6 | –0.6% | 100.0% |
| Africa | 27.2 | 28.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Americas | 128.5 | 120.8 | –6.0 | 17.4 |
| East Asia and the Pacific | 109.2 | 115.2 | 5.5 | 16.6 |
| Europe | 402.5 | 399.7 | –0.7% | 57.7% |
| Middle East | 23.2 | 22.7 | –2.5 | 3.3 |
| South Asia | 6.1 | 5.8 | –4.5 | 0.8 |
Africa
Africa experienced a 4.6% increase in international tourism in 2001. South Africa remains the most important destination, despite suffering a 1.5% decrease in arrivals. The countries enjoying the biggest growth last year were Namibia, Tanzania, and Nigeria.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| Africa | 27,223 | 28,405 | 4.3% | 100.0% |
| South Africa | 6,001 | 5,908 | –1.5 | 20.8 |
| Tunisia | 5,057 | 5,387 | 6.5 | 19.0 |
| Morocco | 4,113 | 4,223 | 2.7 | 14.9 |
| Zimbabwe | 1,866 | — | — | — |
| Botswana | 995 | — | — | — |
| Kenya | 899 | 841 | –6.5% | 3.0% |
| Algeria | 866 | 901 | 4.1 | 3.2 |
| Nigeria | 813 | 955 | 17.5 | 3.4 |
Americas
All of the Americas, excluding Central America, suffered declines in international tourism in 2001, especially the United States (10.7% decrease). The Caribbean countries did not repeat the success they had in 2000.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| Americas | 128,497 | 120,840 | –6.0% | 100.0% |
| United States | 50,945 | 45,490 | –10.7 | 37.6 |
| Mexico | 20,641 | 19,811 | –4.0 | 16.4 |
| Canada | 19,663 | 19,697 | 0.2 | 16.3 |
| Brazil | 5,313 | 4,773 | –10.2 | 3.9 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,341 | 3,551 | 6.3% | 2.9% |
| Dominican Republic | 2,973 | 2,778 | –6.6 | 2.3 |
| Argentina | 2,909 | 2,629 | –9.6 | 2.2 |
| Uruguay | 1,968 | 1,892 | –3.9 | 1.6 |
Europe
Europe failed to repeat the record results posted in the Jubilee Year of 2000. But in relative terms, the decrease of 0.7% does not appear that bad. Southern and Eastern Europe are growing steadily, with Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia welcoming the return of market demand. Bulgaria was a success story in 2001, while Poland suffered a decline of 13.8%. The greatest decline was experienced by Israel, 50.5%, due to the Palestinian conflict.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| Europe | 402,539 | 399,711 | –0.7% | 100.0% |
| France | 75,580 | 76,508 | 1.2 | 19.1 |
| Spain | 47,898 | 49,519 | 3.4 | 12.4 |
| Italy | 41,181 | 39,055 | –5.2 | 9.8 |
| United Kingdom | 25,211 | 22,833 | –9.4% | 5.7% |
| Germany | 18,983 | 17,861 | –5.9 | 4.5 |
| Poland | 17,400 | 15,000 | –13.8 | 3.8 |
| Hungary | 15,571 | 15,340 | –1.6 | 3.8 |
Middle East
On average, international arrivals were down 2.5% from the year before. The greatest success was experienced in Lebanon and Jordan, while Egypt suffered a decline of 14.8%.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| Middle East | 23,237 | 22,653 | –2.5% | 100.0% |
| Egypt | 5,116 | 4,357 | –14.8 | 19.2 |
| Jordan | 1,427 | 1,478 | 3.6 | 6.5 |
| Syria | 1,416 | 1,318 | –6.9% | 5.8% |
| Lebanon | 742 | 837 | 12.9 | 3.7 |
East Asia and the Pacific
In contrast to the Americas, East Asia and the Pacific continued with strong growth, as seen in 2001, averaging 5.5%. China, together with Hong Kong and Macau, is becoming the unrivaled leader of Asian tourism, followed by Malaysia and Thailand.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| East Asia and the Pacific | 109,171 | 115,156 | 5.5% | 100.0% |
| China | 31,229 | 33,167 | 6.2 | 28.8 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 13,059 | 13,725 | 5.1 | 11.9 |
| Malaysia | 10,222 | 12,775 | 25.0 | 11.1 |
| Thailand | 9,579 | 10,133 | 5.8% | 8.8% |
| Singapore | 6,917 | 6,726 | –2.8 | 5.8 |
| Korea, Republic of | 5,322 | 5,147 | –3.3 | 4.5 |
| Indonesia | 5,084 | 5,154 | 1.8 | 4.5 |
| Japan | 4,757 | 4,772 | 0.3 | 4.1 |
South Asia
South Asia felt the impact of the increased tension between India and Pakistan and the war in Afghanistan. Arrivals were down 4.5%, with Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka suffering the biggest declines.
| Region and country | Arrivals (in thousands) | Percent change 2000/2001 | 2001 market share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2001 | |||
| South Asia | 6,091 | 5,818 | –4.5% | 100.0% |
| India | 2,649 | 2,537 | –4.2 | 43.6 |
| Iran | 1,342 | 1,402 | 4.5 | 24.1 |
| Pakistan | 557 | 500 | –10.2 | 8.6 |
| Maldives | 467 | 461 | –1.3% | 7.9% |
| Nepal | 464 | 363 | –21.8 | 6.2 |
| Sri Lanka | 400 | 337 | –15.9 | 5.8 |
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