How Many People Travel Every Year?

Traveling is a universal experience that brings together people from all walks of life. Over the years, the travel sector has continued to record significant growth and, the trend is expected to continue. Millions of people travel to different parts of the world each year. Today, traveling is identified as one of the key agents of economic development and growth across the globe. But, just how many people travel every year? Read on to find out. 

World Travel Statistics 

Thanks to the internet and technology, you can now easily get accurate and reliable travel statistics from various online travel and tourism platforms. However, you do not have to go through all the stress when you can find all that information herein. 

According to the UNWTO, America received an estimated 217 million international travelers in 2018. That represents an increase of about 3% from the previous year. North America and South America were the biggest contributors to the growth. The same report by UNWTO also points to an increase of 7%, 10% and 6% in the number of people visiting Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, respectively from the previous year. 

The total number of foreign trips originating from the US has continued to increase, hitting 38.32 million in 2017. In the past 17 years, it was only in 2002 that the US recorded the lowest number of overseas trips, estimated to be 23.4 million. Between 2000 and 2017, the number of annual visits increased from -7.35 to 10%. The UNWTO also reports that the number of international tourists grew by 6% in 2018 to reach 1.45 billion people. 

Millions of people travel to various parts of the world every year and, it is not very easy to keep track of every traveler. However, considering the projections by the UNWTO, it is safe to safe to say that more than 1.45 billion people travel each year.