Africa witnesses a tourism explosion in 2009, while the tourism industry suffers a general refuse among the economic slowdown, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO).

The newest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer said that expansion returned to global tourism in the last quarter of 2009 contributing to better than estimated full-year results.

International tourist arrival for business, vacation and other purposes are likely to have declined universal by 4 per cent in 2009 to 880 million.

This represents a slight development on the previous estimation as a result of the 2 per cent upswing in the last quarter of 2009. In difference, international tourist arrival shrank by 10 per cent, 7 per cent and 2 per cent in the first three quarters correspondingly.

Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East led the revival with increase already revolving positive in both regions in the second half of 2009, the organization said.

"The global economic crisis motivated by the uncertainty approximately the A (H1N1) pandemic turned 2009 into one of the toughest years for the tourism sector", said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

"Though, the outcome of current months propose that recovery is in progress, and even somewhat previous and at a stronger speed than originally estimated", he said.