International tourist arrivals rise by seven per cent in first four months of 2010: UNWTO

International tourist arrivals grew by seven per cent in the first four months of 2010, according to the latest issue of the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) World Tourism Barometer. This growth confirms the recovery trend beginning in the last quarter of 2009 and comes despite the challenging conditions of recent months. While April 2010 results were affected by the week-long closure of European airspace, globally the pace of recovery is faster than initially expected, driven largely by emerging markets. For the full year 2010, UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow by three-four per cent.