Tourism Is Back: What the 2024 Numbers Tell Us

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1. 01Tourism Is Back

   Good afternoon, everyone. In 2020, international travel almost stopped. Planes were grounded and borders were closed. Today, I'd like to look at the latest numbers and ask: is tourism really back?

   大家下午好。2020年，国际旅行几乎完全停止。飞机停飞，边境关闭。今天，我想看看最新的数据，并提出一个问题：旅游业真的恢复了吗？

   Source: UN Tourism, "International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024" (January 2025)

2. 02The Big Picture

   According to UN Tourism, about one point four billion international tourists traveled in 2024. That's around ninety-nine percent of the level before the pandemic. In other words, global tourism has almost fully recovered.

   根据联合国旅游组织的数据，2024年约有14亿人次国际游客出行。这大约是疫情前水平的99%。换句话说，全球旅游业几乎已经完全恢复。

   Source: UN Tourism, World Tourism Barometer (January 2025)

3. 03Not Every Region Is the Same

   However, the recovery is uneven. Compared to 2019, the Middle East received thirty-two percent more international arrivals. The Americas were at ninety-seven percent, while Asia and the Pacific were still at eighty-seven percent.

   不过，恢复的情况并不均衡。与2019年相比，中东接待的国际游客增加了32%。美洲恢复到了97%，而亚太地区仍然只有87%。

   Source: UN Tourism, World Tourism Barometer (January 2025)

4. 04Why the Middle East Grew

   Why did some places grow so fast? One likely reason is investment. Several countries in the Middle East have spent heavily on new hotels, airports, and attractions to become major destinations.

   为什么有些地方增长得这么快？一个可能的原因是投资。中东的几个国家在新酒店、机场和景点上投入了大量资金，希望成为主要的旅游目的地。

5. 05Why Asia Took Longer

   Asia and the Pacific took longer, partly because some big destinations reopened late. For example, Japan welcomed individual tourists again in October 2022, and China ended quarantine for international arrivals in January 2023. Travel habits take time to return.

   亚太地区恢复得比较慢，部分原因是一些大的目的地重新开放得比较晚。比如，日本在2022年10月重新接待个人游客，中国在2023年1月取消了对入境旅客的隔离。旅行习惯需要时间才能恢复。

   Sources: Government of Japan, resumption of visa-free individual travel (October 11, 2022); National Health Commission of China, end of inbound quarantine (January 8, 2023)

6. 06What It Means for Travelers

   What does this mean for us as travelers? Popular places are busy again, and prices can be high. My advice is to book early, and consider places that are still recovering.

   这对我们这些旅行者来说意味着什么？热门地方又变得拥挤了，价格也可能很高。我的建议是尽早预订，也可以考虑那些还在恢复中的地方。

7. 07What It Means for Destinations

   For destinations, the return of tourists brings back jobs and income. But it also brings back old problems, like crowded streets and pressure on local housing.

   对旅游目的地来说，游客的回归带回了工作和收入。但它也带回了老问题，比如街道拥挤，以及对当地住房的压力。

8. 08Conclusion

   To sum up, tourism is almost back to where it was, but not in the same way everywhere. The challenge now is to grow in a way that works for both visitors and local people. Thank you.

   总之，旅游业几乎回到了原来的水平，但各地的情况并不一样。现在的挑战是，要以一种对游客和当地人都有利的方式发展。谢谢大家。