MADRID, Spain (Reuters):

African tourist arrivals grew at twice the global growth rate in 2006, driven by visitors to sub-Saharan countries such as South Africa and Kenya, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) said yesterday.

Africa outpaced all other regions last year in tourism, with visitor numbers growing by 8.1 per cent compared with a global growth rate of 4.5 per cent, the Madrid-based UN agency reported.

The results showed global tourism had seen off risks such as terrorism, health threats and rising oil prices, the agency said in its annual review.

While sub-Saharan Africa saw growth of nearly 10 per cent, arrivals to North Africa increased 5.8 per cent, with Morocco as the lead destination.

Other emerging regions also showed strong expansion, such as Asia and the Pacific, which were up 7.6 per cent after the recovery of Thailand following the December 2004 tsunami.

International tourist arrivals were seen up around 4 per cent in 2007, in line with forecast long-term annual growth of 4.1 per cent to 2020, the U.N. agency said.

The WTO had said in November it expected tourism demand to grow at 4.6 per cent in 2006 and 4.0 per cent in 2007, led by the emerging markets of Africa and Asia and the Pacific.