The table compares international tourist numbers by region in four years between 1990 and 2005.
Overall
, worldwide travel rose markedly across the period, Linking Words
although
the pace of rise slowed after 1995. Europe prevailed by far the largest destination, but its dominance narrowed, Linking Words
while
Asia and the Pacific experienced the most rapid expansion. Linking Words
By contrast
, the Americas levelled off after 2000, and Africa and the Middle East, though small in absolute terms, climbed steadily.
Total arrivals rose from 448.9 to 693.7, a gain of approximately 245. The upward trend was strongest in the first half of the period (+166 from 1990 to 1995), before easing to +54 by 2000 and only +24.5 Linking Words
thereafter
. Europe rose from 280.2 to 400.2, retaining the top position; Linking Words
however
, its share slipped from about 62% to 58%.
Asia and the Pacific more than doubled, jumping from 60.2 in 1990 to 135.8 in 2005—an increase that lifted its global share from roughly 13% to nearly one-fifth. The Americas rose from 80.5 to 118.2 by 2000 but Linking Words
then
dipped slightly to 113.2 in 2005. Africa and the Middle East showed a gradual but consistent increment, from 18.2 to 28.7 and from 9.8 to 15.8, respectively.
In sum, international travel expanded substantially, with Asia–Pacific emerging as the key growth engine Linking Words
Linking Words
whereas
Europe remained the principal destination.Punctuation problem
, whereas