Saturday, September 27, is "World Tourism Day". After years of crisis, the industry is back with record figures. France, Spain and the USA are at the top of the list. However, despite the positive results and the great importance of tourism for the global economy, it is time to think about destinations outside of mass tourism.
Since 1980, World Tourism Day has been a reminder that travel is much more than just a leisure activity. Tourism moves the world - in the best and most critical sense. The figures compiled by the World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) speak for themselves: with around 1.4 billion international arrivals in 2024, the enormous importance of this industry for the global economy is evident.
This year's leitmotif is "Tourism and Sustainable Transformation". The UNWTO emphasizes that tourism goes far beyond economic indicators. It can promote education, create jobs and enable social participation - provided there is a long-term strategy. Sustainability, resilience and social justice should form the framework for this.
Europe dominates travel worldwide. At the top of the list is France, which once again achieved record figures in 2024 with 89.4 million international guests. It was followed by Spain (83.7 million) and the USA (79.3 million). China, Italy, Turkey and Mexico occupy the other places. There was a surprise in Asia: Japan overtook Thailand for the first time, positioning itself as the leading destination in the region.
As pleasing as the figures are, the phenomenon of overtourism is proving problematic in many places: crowds in the streets of Barcelona, guide groups marching single file through Dubrovnik, traffic jams on Mount Everest or crowds at sunset in Oia in Greece are just a few examples.
Vacation destinations on the Mediterranean are particularly badly affected - the majority of international travel there is concentrated in just a few summer weeks. This is confirmed by the results of the overtourism index, for example from the travel platform "Evaneos". The analysis of 77 vacation destinations shows that 36 of them are extremely congested with travelers between July and September.
This index and the UNWTO figures show which are the least popular destinations in the world - and therefore certainly worth a trip for sustainable, resilient and socially just travel.
Tuvalu:
With just under 12,000 inhabitants, Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries in the world and consists of nine islands. In 2019, the country counted around 3,600 international visitors.
Marshall Islands:
The Marshall Islands in the Pacific consist of more than 1,200 islands and atolls, only some of which are inhabited. They are severely threatened by climate change and rely primarily on diving, untouched nature and traditional culture for tourism.
Bhutan:
The "Land of Happiness" is a landlocked country in the Himalayas between India and China with a population of around 800,000. Tourism there is strictly regulated according to the principle of "high value, low volume", meaning that around 315,000 international guests traveled to the country in 2019.
Liechtenstein:
In the middle of the Alpine Rhine Valley, between Switzerland and Austria, lies Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in Europe. Despite its small size, the country attracted around 90,000 international overnight guests in 2019.
Djibouti:
Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa and borders Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The country counted around 100,000 international tourists in 2019.
