Although arrivals to the Americas grew only by a modest 3% — 4% for North America — Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific performed strongly, with respective rises of 6, 7 and 6%.

The Organization predicted a global overall increase of between 3 and 4% for this year, broadly in line with historical trends. Stable fuel prices would translate into affordable air travel while air connectivity continues to improve in many destinations, it predicted. But at the same time the WTO warned that uncertainty related to Brexit as well as geopolitical and trade tensions may prompt a “wait and see” attitude among investors and travelers.