Whilst the biggest world travellers in volume are still Europeans, the emerging markets led by China are spearheading a new long-term trend in travel, and the numbers are big.
For 2017, the United Nations World Travel Organisation (UNWTO) recorded 1.3 billion tourist arrivals globally, of which 75% were holiday travellers and 25% for business. The 7% increase from 2016 was the highest annual growth since 2010. Tourists spent US$1.3 trillion, representing an average of US$1,000 per head making it one of the largest retail categories.
Download our white paper: “How the Chinese Tourism Boom Will Change Payments, Creating Winners and Losers”.