International tourism on track for one billion tourists end 2012. With a record 467 million tourists in the first half of 2012, international tourism remains firmly on track to reach one billion tourists by the end of the year, says the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO) in its new “World Tourism Barometer”. International arrivals increased in all regions in the first six months of the year, but Asia is the most dynamic region, UNTWO notes. In 2011 international arrivals of tourists had reached 990 million. Despite concerns over the global economy, international tourism demand continues to show resilience. The number of international tourists worldwide grew by 5% between January and June 2012 compared to the same period in 2011 (in other words 22 million more). Although a slight slowdown in growth can be expected for the rest of the year, international arrivals are forecast to exceed one billion by the end of 2012. “Tourism is one of the few economic sectors in the world growing strongly, driving economic progress in developing and developed countries alike”, said UNTWO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. In Rifai's opinion the tourism sector needs to be supported by adequate national policies and the implementation of measures to remove barriers to growth in the sector, such as complicated visa procedures, increased direct taxation or limited connectivity. By region: Asia and the Pacific: with growth of +8% compared to last year, this region achieves the best performance, stimulated by the recovery of Japanese inbound and outbound tourism as well as the continued strong performance of other major source markets in the region. The destinations of South Asia and South-East Asia (+9% for both regions) showed the best results worldwide. Europe: the most visited region in the world, Europe consolidated its record growth of 2011 with +4% in the first six months, despite the continuing economic volatility of the eurozone. In Central and Eastern Europe, the results were above the regional average (+7%) in this region, where many destinations saw double-digit growth. In Western Europe, growth was also above average (+5%). By contrast, demand in Southern and Mediterranean Europe slowed (+1%), but it follows a very strong year (2011) and suffers because of the recovery of destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. Americas: with +5%, these regions grew in line with the world average, with Central America (+7%) and South America (+6%) recording the strongest results. South America has in fact been one of the sub-regions with the fastest tourism growth of recent years. Destinations in North America grew at 4%, a relatively high rate for a mature sub-region, while growth in the Caribbean remained buoyant (+5%), consolidating 2011 results. Africa: this region recorded growth of 7%. The return of tourists to Tunisia is reflected in the results of North Africa (+11%). Likewise, the rebound of Egypt clearly affected the results of the Middle East (+0.7%). Destinations in sub-Saharan Africa (+6%) continued to show strong results, following the good growth rates of this sub-region in previous years. In terms of outbound markets, and among the top ten countries by expenditure on travel abroad, growth was significant in China (+30%), the Russian Federation (+15%), the USA (+9%), Germany (+6%) and Canada (+6%). In Japan, an 8% increase in spending on overseas tourism confirms the recovery of this important market. On the other hand, growth was slow or negative in the UK, Australia, Italy and France. (IL/transl.fl)