Mountain tourism represents between 9 and 16 % of international tourist arrivals

Mountain tourism represents between 9 and 16 % of international tourist arrivals worldwide, translating into 195 to 375 million tourists for 2019 alone, a report said.

While mountain tourism has become an increasingly relevant motivation for travel, data on its size and impact remains scarce, according to the new report from the UN agencies the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Mountain Partnership (MP).

However, the scarcity of domestic mountain tourism-related data  make it difficult or even impossible to assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of this important segment. This new report aims to address this data gap.

Mountain tourism for sustainability and inclusion

Mountains are home to around 1.1 billion people, some of them among the poorest and most isolated in the world. At the same time, mountains have long drawn tourists interested in nature and open-air destinations and outdoors activities like walking, climbing and winter sports. They also attract visitors with their rich biodiversity and vibrant local cultures. However, in 2019, the most recent year for which figures are available, the 10 most mountainous countries (in terms of average height above sea level) received only 8% of international tourist arrivals worldwide, the report “Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism”, shows.

Managed sustainably, mountain tourism has the potential to boost the incomes of local communities and help preserve their natural resources and culture. And, according to FAO, UNWTO and MP, measuring the volume of visitors to mountains represents the first vital step towards unlocking the potential of the sector.