Global leisure tourism spending rose by 31.5 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. Despite the significant annual increase, the expenditure by domestic travelers worldwide remained below the figure from 2019, the year before the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, amounting to roughly 4.1 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022.
Leisure tourism vs. business travel
Leisure tourism mainly refers to vacations, visits to friends or relatives, and all journeys made for leisure purposes. On the other hand, business travel includes all trips taken for work-related reasons, such as attending meetings, congresses, and conferences. In 2022, the total travel and tourism expenditure worldwide, including leisure and business trips, exceeded five trillion U.S. dollars but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted international tourism?
After peaking at 1.46 billion in 2019, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide, including leisure and business travelers, declined by approximately 72 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic, falling back to 1990 levels, then bounced back to just under 970 million in 2022. That year in Europe, the leading region worldwide based on inbound tourist arrivals, international arrivals reached nearly 600 million.
Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022
(in billion U.S. dollars)
figures are in constant 2022 prices and exchange rates as of March 2023
Supplementary notes
Figures for 2019 and 2022 were calculated by Statista by combining data on spending provided by the source for the following regions: North America, Europe, Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, North East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, and Oceania. All regional figures can be found here.
Data for 2020 and 2021 were calculated by Statista based on the percentage changes in global leisure travel spending as indicated by the source.
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Statista. (November 7, 2023). Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/
Statista. "Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) ." Chart. November 7, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/
Statista. (2023). Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) . Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/
Statista. "Leisure Tourism Spending Worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in Billion U.S. Dollars) ." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Nov 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/
Statista, Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/ (last visited July 03, 2024)
Leisure tourism spending worldwide from 2019 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph], Statista, November 7, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1093335/leisure-travel-spending-worldwide/