The number of people travelling abroad hit record levels in 2017 with a total of 1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around the world, with India leading the growth in the South Asian region, according to data from the UN's tourism organisation.
The latest edition of its Tourism Highlights shows international arrivals reached 1.323 million last year. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new record, with the sector also recording "uninterrupted growth" in arrivals for eight consecutive years.
Europe and Africa led the regions with increases in arrivals, with growth of eight per cent and nine per cent, respectively.
The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, added that tourism is the world's third largest export category, earning USD 1.3 trillion in receipts in 2017: an increase of five per cent.
Meanwhile, total exports from international tourism stood at USD 1.6 trillion, or an average of USD 4 billion a day: that is, seven per cent of the world's exports.
"These strong 2017 results were driven by sustained travel demand for destinations across all world regions, including a firm recovery by those that have suffered from security challenges in recent years," The UNWTO said in a press release.
The report said positive results in South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the "subregion's largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from western source markets and simpler visa procedures."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content