Official figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal visits to the UK by overseas residents are up by six per cent in the year to date. Holiday visits continue to grow and are up eight per cent over the past twelve months compared with a year earlier.

In the first nine months of 2013, international tourism grew by five per cent according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. The number of international tourist arrivals reported by destinations around the world increased by some 41 million between January and September, growing above UNWTO’s initial forecast.

South America continues to display stable growth in the market for international travel, where it has easily overtaken the countries of North America. South America continues to be a dynamic driving force of the global tourism industry. Brazilians, who are extremely keen on shopping tours, have contributed significantly towards this trend.

Curacao’s tourism sector is surging in 2013, according to a new report from Expedia. The booking giant said it is seeing growth across a number of source markets, including 18 percent year over year growth from the United States. So far in 2013, nearly 40,000 room nights have been booked through Expedia in Curacao.