International tourist arrivals up 5% in first nine months of 2025
International tourism has continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of international arrivals, despite high inflation in tourism services and geopolitical tensions.International tourist arrivals grew 5% in January to September 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 and 3% above the pre-pandemic year in 2019.
According to the latest edition of the World Tourism Barometer, over 1.1 billion tourists travelled internationally between January and September this year, about 50 million more than in the same period of 2024.
“International tourism has continued to experience sustained growth so far in 2025 in terms of international arrivals and, most importantly, in receipts, despite high inflation in tourism services and geopolitical tensions. Africa and Europe in particular stand out for their results,” said UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
Africa saw a 10% increase in arrivals through September, according to limited available data. Both North Africa (11%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (10%) recorded double-digit growth in arrivals, according to UN Tourism.
It said that global occupancy in accommodation establishments reached 68% in September 2025, matching the rate of September 2024.
According to UN Tourism’s projection in January this year, international tourist arrivals were expected to grow 3% to 5% in 2025.
While results through September are in line with UN Tourism’s forecast, factors such as high travel prices and a challenging geopolitical environment remain important downside risks.
Namibia’s accommodation sector recorded a noticeable dip in performance this October, with national occupancy standing at 61.65% – a decline of more than 3% compared to the same month last year and over 8% lower than in 2019.
This is according to the Hospitality Association of Namibia’s (HAN) first draft review of October 2025, signalling a softening in key market segments despite sustained international interest.