THE 2022
MOST VISITED
DESTINATIONS
REPORTTHE 2022 MOST VISITED
DESTINATIONS REPORT
The data included in this document is accurate
according to ForwardKeys’ market research
database, at time of publication: November 2022Contents
Table of contents
Foreword 5
Executive summary 6
Recovery edges closer, but obstacles remain
Methodology 7
The Insights included in this report
Top 20 country destinations 8
Central America and Caribbean dominate the recovery rankings
Top 20 city destinations 10
Sun-soaked cities top the charts
Managing overtourism 12
A balancing act that requires nuanced data
2022 travel review 14
The events and trends that shaped the industry
What comes next? 17
What to expect in 2023
Business travel recovery 20
What’s really going on with business travel?
Outbound markets: The US22
The US a key driver of global travel recovery
Outbound markets: China 25
Adapting to China’s ongoing absence from the international travel market
Premium Travel 27
Travellers spending more in wake of pandemic
Spotlight on: The Americas29
Americas’ recovery remains linked to the Caribbean
Best practices: Mexico 31
Attracting diverse audiences through a varied tourism offering
Spotlight on: Europe 32
Demand for sun-and-beach destinations drives European travel recovery
Best practices: Albania 34
Albania: The Mediterranean’s dark horse
Spotlight on: Africa and the Middle East 36
Sub-Saharan Africa leads regional recovery; Middle East well positioned
Best practices: Dubai 38
Transitioning from a stop-over to a fun-packed family destination
Best practices: Tanzania 40
A case in point for the importance of connectivity
Spotlight on: Asia Pacific 41
Optimism for Asia Pacific as continent gradually reopens
Best practices: Fiji 43
The power of marketing to new target audiences
Best practices: Maldives 44
Tapping into new markets using Big Data
Data appendix: Countries 45
Data appendix: Cities 47
3FORWARDKEYS - THE MOST VISITED DESTINATIONS 2022 Foreword
Foreword
At the time of writing, the travel industry – with the exception of the Asia Pacific
market – has all but recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This
is the news we have all been waiting for, and yet the response has been relatively
subdued. Why? Because as one major challenge has slowly faded from the industry’s
consciousness, many new, smaller challenges have taken its place.
As ForwardKeys Head of Research, Luis Millán, explains in his 2022 travel review
on pages 14-15, the travel sector in 2022 has had to navigate obstacles including
escalating geopolitical tensions, airport chaos, China’s ongoing closure and even
existential threats to the aviation industry.
The issue of overtourism has also returned with a vengeance in the wake of travel
reactivation. On pages 12-13, ForwardKeys Head of Market Intelligence, Juan
Gómez, describes what destinations can do to mitigate the impact of overtourism.
We hope you enjoy reading this report and find value in its insights and analyses.
Here’s to a brighter 2023 for the travel industry.
Olivier Ponti
Vice President – Insights
ForwardKeys
November 2022
Travel and tourism have seen demand skyrocket as we emerged from the pandemic.
Consumer demand is high and with this rebound we see new and exciting trends and
opportunities emerging. As people’s lives changed, so did their habits, priorities and
interests, and all the while, global geopolitical events and challenges ensure the goal
posts are constantly moving.
This report provides an insight into those shifts and our responses to them and
forecasts the trends for the year ahead.
At World Travel Market London our mission is to table the biggest issues impacting
the travel and tourism industry, guide the sector towards new horizons through peer-
to-peer learning, and offer vast networking opportunities to help deliver those crucial
business deals that ensure the industry’s future.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Juliette Losardo
Exhibition Director
World Travel Market London
November 2022
FORWARDKEYS - THE MOST VISITED DESTINATIONS 2022 4Executive summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recovery edges closer,
but obstacles remain
Taking a broad view of travel market developments in 2022, the picture is generally positive, with many
destinations approaching full recovery and some even surpassing their pre-pandemic performance.
By region, Africa and the Middle East is 2022’s most resilient, with the Middle East, in particular, benefiting
from the resumption of major global events such as the Dubai World Expo, Formula One GPs in various Gulf
locations and, above all, Qatar’s FIFA World Cup. The Gulf Cooperation Council has also seen a comeback in
business travel, a segment whose resilience has come as a surprise to many.
The Americas, meanwhile, has achieved an impressive level of recovery thanks largely to pent-up demand
from the United States outbound market for sun and beach destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean,
several of which have seen tourism growth versus 2019.
In fact, demand for sun and beaches is a recurring theme in
this year’s travel review, with many destinations in Southern
Europe also performing strongly. Turkey’s Antalya,
for example, is this year’s stand-out performer by city
destination, seeing 66% more tourist arrivals than in 2019.
Yet Europe is known for its diversity, and many travellers
to the continent have been keen to experience its nature,
history and vibrant urban centres – as reflected in growing
demand for destinations including Istanbul (-4%), Reykjavik
(-14%), Madrid (-22%) and Oslo (-25%).
Like Mexico and the Caribbean, Europe owes much of its
success in terms of travel recovery to the US, which retains
its position as the world’s leading outbound travel market.
The least-recovered global region in 2022 is Asia Pacific,
which is to be expected given the late reopening of many of
its destinations and China’s ongoing closure. Nevertheless,
Asia Pacific, too, is heading in the right direction, driven
initially by pent-up demand from the large international
diasporas of countries like Pakistan (-5%) and Bangladesh
(-8%) for visiting friends and relatives. Regional sun and
beach destinations like the Maldives (-7%) and Fiji (-22%)
are also recovering well.
Towards the end of 2022, the stagnation of certain markets in the face of soaring inflation rates has cast a
small shadow over what had been a mostly positive year for the industry. Looking ahead to 2023, the travel
market’s full, global recovery will depend on its ability to overcome this challenge as well as other obstacles
associated with geopolitical tensions and a global energy crisis. And of course, no industry recovery will be
complete without the return of Chinese travellers.
5FORWARDKEYS - THE MOST VISITED DESTINATIONS 2022