MADRID, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of people making international trips during the first nine months of 2018 rose by five percent year-on-year, according to figures published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Wednesday.

In a press statement, the UNWTO explained that the figures are "in line with its growth forecast of 4 to 5 percent for the year."

It calculated that January to September saw a total of 1,083 million international travelers, which is 56 million more compared with the same period of 2017.

The organization said that every region in the world enjoyed "robust growth" in international tourist numbers, with "Asia and the Pacific" leading -- with a 7 percent rise in the number of international travelers compared with 2017.

Asia's impressive performance was followed by Europe and the Middle East (6 percent), Africa (5 percent) and the Americas, 3 percent growth.

As well as greater numbers of international tourists, spending also increased significantly during the first nine months of the year, with China seeing a 21 percent improvement in tourism earnings, it said.