The world’s tourists are venturing further from the beaten path. The latest UN Tourism Barometer shows that while Europe remains the most-visited region with 793 million arrivals, the fastest growth in 2025 came from South America, Africa and the Middle East — a shift that is redrawing the map of global travel.
Brazil was the standout performer. The country welcomed 9.3 million international visitors, a 37% increase that smashed the government’s own target of 6.9 million by a third. Argentina led source markets with 3.1 million arrivals, followed by Chile and the United States. European visitors also surged, with 1.8 million travellers from France, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the UK and Spain — a 20% jump fueled by more than 60 new weekly international flight frequencies launched in 2025. Foreign tourists spent a record $7.9 billion in the Brazilian economy.
Egypt posted a 20% rise in arrivals, making it one of the Middle East’s top performers. Travel operators attribute much of the momentum to the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza pyramids, which fully opened in November 2025 after years of delays. The museum houses over 100,000 artifacts, including treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb, and has become a draw powerful enough to reshape travel itineraries across the region.
Africa Leads Global Tourism Recovery
Africa delivered the strongest regional growth overall at 8%, reaching 81 million arrivals. North Africa led with an 11% increase, and Morocco posted a 14% gain. Further south, Ethiopia saw international visitors rise 15%, marking a sharp recovery from years of decline linked to the Tigray conflict. The Seychelles grew 13%, and South Africa surged 19% through November.
Globally, international tourism receipts reached an estimated $1.9 trillion in 2025, up 5% from the prior year. Total export revenues from tourism, including passenger transport, hit $2.2 trillion. The numbers mark a return to the 5% average annual growth seen in the decade before the pandemic.
UN Tourism forecasts 3–4% growth for 2026, with the FIFA World Cup across North America and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics expected to provide further lift. But inflation in tourism services, geopolitical tensions and trade disputes remain headwinds. The bigger story may be structural: travellers are increasingly seeking destinations that offer cultural depth and value rather than defaulting to familiar European circuits.