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Issue No. 139Official figures from 2 national officesFree to read, free to cite

World Tourism Monitor

How Middle East travelled in July 2026
August 2026Complete2 countries reportedA complete issue. Nearly every country that counts August has published it.
September 2026First figures19 countries in so farThe quickest countries publish within a few weeks of a month ending; most follow a month or so later.
October 2026Under wayStill happeningNo country can count a month before it ends. The first figures arrive about three weeks after it closes.Today
Of the 123 countries counted monthly, 19 publish within a month of it ending and 55 within two.Why is the latest issue August?So a month is judged on most countries, not a fewCountries count visitors at borders and in hotels, then check the figures before publishing. The Monitor waits until most are in. Statistics offices and banks work to the same calendar.
Middle East editionPublished 19 October 20262 countriesTrust index 1004 min read

Middle East+23.2% on a year, 70.4% of 2019

Growing2 of 2 countries compared

Biggest gainerIsrael +28.6%

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Issue No. 139 · July 2026 · published 19 October 2026

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The whole edition in one PDF: lead story, map, regions, movers, records and the month ahead.

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Tourism API (2026). World Tourism Monitor, Issue No. 139, Middle East edition, July 2026. https://tourismapi.com/monitor/2026-07/middle-east

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The lead

Middle East arrivals up 23.2% in July

The Monitor desk19 October 2026From 2 national offices4 min read

International arrivals in the two reporting Middle Eastern destinations rose 23.2% in July 2026 compared with the same month of the previous year. Both countries in the panel recorded growth, with no declines reported across the sample. Activity stood at 70.4% of the level recorded in the same month of 2019. No destination in the region reached a record monthly high this July.

MoversIsrael led the region with arrivals up 28.6% on the year, ahead of Jordan at 18.0%.
RecordsNo country in the panel reached a record monthly high in July 2026.
CurrenciesThe South Korean won gained 3.5% against the euro over the month, the strongest move among the listed currencies.

The map

    Each tile is a country, placed roughly where it sits on the globe. Pale tiles have no figure this month. Hover a tile for its numbers; click it for the country.

    Since 2015

    12 years of Middle East on the move, one issue a month

    The Monitor reaches back to January 2015: every month since, for the world and five regions, rebuilt from the figures each national office has published. Through the boom, the 2020 collapse and the recovery, the whole run is here to read, download and cite.

    140monthly issues
    829world and regional editions
    12years, 2015 to 2026
    2countries in this issue
    6editions every month
    0501002019 = 10072.8% of 2019January 2015April 20200.4% of 2019Back past 2019May 202271.9%August 2026201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
    2015Issue No. 1 in January 2015, at 72.8% of the 2019 level.
    2019The benchmark year: every issue since measures against it.
    2020April 2020 falls to 0.4% of 2019, the deepest month on record.
    2022May 2022 passes 2019 again, at 103.2%.
    2026August 2026 stands at 71.9% of 2019.
    Every back issue is free to read. The full index as data is on the Developer plan.
    Browse every issueGet the index

    Regions

    Five regions, five papers

    Each region has its own edition every month, with its own map, movers and records. Open one to read it in full.

    Middle East+23.2%

    Israel led at +28.6%, Jordan trailed at +18.0%.

    2 countries → Read the Middle East edition    Africa+7.5%

    South Africa led at +12.5%, Seychelles trailed at +1.8%.

    4 countries → Read the Africa edition    Europe+4.2%

    Liechtenstein led at +42.2%, Lithuania trailed at -12.3%.

    38 countries → Read the Europe edition    Americas+4.1%

    Bolivia led at +47.4%, Antigua and Barbuda trailed at -1.9%.

    10 countries → Read the Americas edition    Asia Pacific+1.8%

    Bhutan led at +101.2%, Cambodia trailed at -29.2%.

    17 countries → Read the Asia Pacific edition

    Movers and records

    Who moved the month

    The biggest gainers and losers on a year, and the countries at or near the best month they have ever recorded.

    Biggest gainersOn a year

    01IsraelMiddle East+28.6%02JordanMiddle East+18.0%

    Biggest losersOn a year

    None this month.

    At or near a recordOf best

    01Jordan93.5% of its best month93.5%02Israel22.5% of its best month22.5%

    The month ahead

    August, and the money behind it

    National holidays across the countries in this issue, and how the big source-market currencies moved against the euro. A stronger currency makes travel abroad cheaper for its people.

    August 2026Countries on holiday

    MTWTFSS12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031
    25Prophet's Birthday (estimated)Jordan1

    CurrenciesAgainst the euro

    CurrencyPer euroOn the month
    USD1.1417+0.9%
    GBP0.8539+1.1%
    JPY185.5391-0.2%
    CNY7.7371+0.9%
    KRW1,702.1583+3.5%
    AUD1.63960.0%
    THB38.2595-1.0%
    INR109.4158-0.1%

    Trust index

    How sure are these numbers

    Every country is graded on its figures as held today. The issue's trust index of 100 is their average, weighted by size. The weakest come first.

    CountryFreshCompleteStableGradeScore
    Israel100100A100
    Jordan100100A100
    FreshHow far behind the newest figure is.
    CompleteThe share of the last five years held with no gap.
    StableHow little the office revised its figures in the last year.
    GradesA from 85, B from 70, C from 55. Every grade is in the API.

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