Global tourism 'booming'

New figures have revealed a significant rise in tourism levels across the globe for the first three months of the year.

International tourist arrivals rose by more than six per cent during the first quarter of 2007 to reach 252 million, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation's (UNTWO's) latest World Tourism Barometer.

The highest increases were recorded in the Asia Pacific region, with a nine per cent increase in arrivals, while Africa and the Middle East saw growth of eight per cent each.

This growth is likely to be sustained over the rest of the year, said the UNTWO, with rising levels of disposable income and cheaper air fares set to contribute to higher arrival numbers.

"Increased investment in infrastructure, marketing and promotion, development of domestic markets, liberalisation of air transport, growing intraregional cooperation and a growing number of public-private partnerships are key factors that have helped the tourism industry to expand," commented Francesco Frangialli, secretary-general of the UNTWO.

Recent figures from the US department of commerce revealed that ten per cent more British travellers visited the country during the first three months of 2007, with 3.9 million international visitors in total taking a trip there.

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