Sharp slowdown in number of international tourists since second half of 2008. - The World Tourist Organisation (WTO) has announced that for 2008 as a whole, the number of international tourist arrivals rose to 925 million, 17 million more arrivals than in 2007 (2% increase). This positive result can be explained by the scores obtained in the first half of the year, before the collapse of the financial market because after the boom in the first six months of the year, the growth in Europe came to a grinding halt in the second half of 2008. The second half of the year saw a sudden downward trend, stagnation and negative growth during each of the last six months of 2008. Overall, the 6% growth recorded between January and June fell to 1% in the second half of the year. All regions had positive results for 2008 as a whole, apart from Europe, for which the number of arrivals stagnated. The most rapid progress was recorded in the Middle East (+11%), Africa (+4%) and the Americas (+4%). The latter benefitted from the solidity of tourism in the US until August and good results of destinations in Central and South America. Growth was negative in the second half of 2008 in Europe (-3%) and Asia (-1%). This fall is even sharper in Asia which experienced growth rates in double figures in 2007 and sharp growth in the first half of 2008 (+6%). On the other hand, the Americas (+1%), Africa (+3%) and the Middle East continued to have positive results in the second half of the year although they experienced a sharp fall compared to the January-June period. Despite the general slowdown, several countries experienced very good results for the whole of 2008, particularly Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, Republic of Korea, Macao (China), Indonesia, India, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Turkey. At the beginning of 2009, international tourist demand deteriorated further due to the impact of the global economic recession. International tourist arrivals declined at a rate of 8% between January and February this year, leaving the overall volume at the same level as recorded in 2007. At the same time, influenza A (H1N1) is starting to affect the sector. Its impact is being closely monitored by UNWTO in close collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). UNWTO follows the WHO's advice as it is the leading UN agency in matters relating to health. WHO does not recommend travel restrictions at this point. Preliminary UNWTO figures for the first months of 2009 indicate a continuation of the negative growth already experienced in the second half of 2008. Destinations all around the world have suffered from a decrease in demand in major source markets. Only Africa and Central and South America posted positive results in the range of 3-5%. So far, Northern, Southern and Mediterranean Europe, North-East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East are amongst the most affected sub-regions. In this context, UNWTO expects international tourism to decline between 2% and 3% in 2009. (I.L./transl.rh)