International tourist arrivals tripled in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2021, with Europe leading the rebound as COVID-19 restrictions were eased, the United Nations’ tourism agency said.

In the first three months of 2022, there were 117 million global tourist arrivals, up from 41 million in the same period a year earlier, with the figures showing an increase of 182 percent, the Madrid-based UN World Tourism Organization said. 

Although the figure remained 61 percent lower than the first quarter of 2019, a year before the pandemic, it showed tourism was continuing to recover “at a strong pace” as “restrictions ease and confidence returns,” it said. 

The increase was particularly notable in Europe, and strong growth was also seen in the Americas. (AFP)