According to the World Tourism Barometer of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), more than 800 million international travellers were recorded in 2022 – a doubling compared to the previous year. For 2023, the UNWTO forecasts a further recovery. By the end of the year, the number of international travellers is expected to reach 80 to 95 percent of pre-crisis levels. The travel industry is back on track for success. Two key figures on its economic importance:

• Tourism has grown – minus the pandemic years – twice as fast as world GDP in the last 15 years.
• Every tenth employee worldwide works in the travel and tourism industry.

The positive effects of tourism can be seen in industrialised nations as well as in emerging and developing countries. In Germany, tourism is a fundamental component of the national economy and in 2022 almost reached pre-Covid figures: in 2022, travel expenditure by Germans doubled to 58.6 billion euros compared to the previous year. At the same time, tourism provides jobs for about three million people – that is almost seven percent of all employed persons in Germany. 

TUI is of great importance for tourism worldwide. In many places, the company is the largest private investor and long-term strategic partner of the destination countries. This is particularly true for regions in southern Europe and in emerging and developing countries such as Cape Verde. TUI has always been and remains a central partner – also for medium-sized companies. For example, the travel group is the largest commission provider for German travel agencies and, with its online platform TUI Musement, arranges excursions for tens of thousands of excursion micro-enterprises worldwide. In holiday destinations, TUI thus also helps to stabilise the local tourism infrastructure and supports small and medium-sized tourism businesses on the ground.