According to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Asia-Pacific region almost fully recovered its tourism activity volumes observed before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2024.
In 2024, the region welcomed 316 million international tourists, representing 87% of the figures from 2019. In comparison, this figure stood at 66% at the end of 2023.
South Asia showed the best results, with a 92% recovery. The Maldives led the growth, recording 20% more tourists compared to 2019. It was followed by Japan (+16%), which has been very popular with French tour operators and their clients for the past two years. It is expected that tourism to Japan will continue to grow in 2025 thanks to the recently opened Osaka World Expo.
Fiji also set a new attendance record, welcoming 929,740 international visitors (+10%). Sri Lanka (+7%), another popular destination among French tour operators, also showed growth. Indonesia received 13.9 million tourists in 2024, recovering 86% of its 2019 levels.
The Asia-Pacific region is also attracting significant investment. Between 2018 and 2024, over 640 entirely new tourism infrastructure projects were carried out in the region, totaling US$66 billion, which accounts for more than a third of global tourism-related investment expenditure during this period.
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