Bahrain has recorded the world’s fastest tourism recovery rate of 95% since the pandemic, with its 2021 tourist numbers recovering to 3.8 million, a new research report said. However, its 2021 tourism revenue of $1.8 billion is only 49% of what the island country accumulated in 2019 ($3.7 billion), meaning travellers are spending less when they visit, according to analysis from money.co.uk, a UK-based price comparison website.

In second place, Albania welcomed over 5.3 million tourists in 2021, just short (89.8%) of its 2019 total. With a varied blend of mountainous and coastal regions, this south-eastern European country will hope to return to its pre-lockdown visitor peak soon, the report noted.

The Caribbean nation Dominican Republic, the third in the top three countries posting highest recoveries, which saw 5 million visitors in 2021, which was around 78% of its total for 2019 (6.4 million). According to the country’s Ministry of Tourism, the country attracted more tourists (700,000) in December 2021, than it had in any other month on record.

Placing tenth in the rankings is Montenegro. While the small Balkan country’s 2021 tourist total of 1.6 million is only 64% of its 2019 numbers (2.5 million), its recovery from the 2020 slump of 400,000 is impressive, said the report.

James Andrews, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said: “After around two years of lockdowns people are again looking abroad for their next holiday. While some consumer trends have changed forever, a lot of the usual things people look for in a potential destination remain the same. At the top of this list is affordability, no matter what the location and type of holiday. There are a number of ways to keep costs down when taking a vacation, while still getting the break you need.”