Global inbound tourists to hit 1.8 bln by 2030: UNWTO

The number of tourists arriving in destinations worldwide will reach 1.8 billion people by 2030, said an official with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Thursday. Inbound tourism will continue to increase in the next two decades, but at a slower pace, said Xu Jing, director of Asia-Pacific Department of UNWTO, at the Fifth UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook. The number of inbound tourists increased at a rate of 3.9 percent from 1995 to 2010, but is expected to fall to 3.3 percent from 2010 to 2030, Xu said. Tourists will mostly visit destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, which is expected to hold 30 percent of the world's tourism market by 2030. At that time, Northeast Asian countries, including China, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia, will be favorite destinations for tourists, he said. However, the forecast results could be affected by other factors such as the speed of economic recovery and transportation costs, he said. The three-day forum, which opened Thursday, is jointly sponsored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).