According to the forecast prepared by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) at the beginning of the year, international tourist arrivals are projected to increase by some 4 percent to 5 percent in 2011. The impact of recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March, are not expected to substantially affect this projected growth. Results for Northeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East are below initial forecasts, but destinations in Europe and South America are so far performing better than anticipated. On the whole, and as in previous similar situations, a temporary redistribution of traffic, together with an increase in intra-regional travel as opposed to interregional, is likely to occur. UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai said“Although recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East and the terrible events in Japan will affect the results of their respective regions, overall growth in international tourism should not be significantly impacted,” He added “Moreover, the fall in demand in Tunisia, Egypt, and Japan is expected to have bottomed out, and the recovery of these important destinations will surely be consolidated during the year.”
