New York:Conflicts and terrorist threats failed to deter tourists last year as the industry established a new record with 842 million arrivals worldwide, fresh statistics show.

The South Asian sub-region showed 10 per cent growth in international tourist arrivals backed by strong performance by India,which was the destination of more than half of the arrivals.

Asia and the Pacific as a whole maintained its extraordinary performance with arrivals increasing by 7.6 per cent with recovery of Thailand and Maldives from impact of 2004 tsunami.

Overall the thriving industry saw a 4.5 per cent growth of tourists with 2006 becoming a third year of sustained growth. The projections by the United World Tourist Organization (UNWTO) show that the current year is set to become fourth year of sustained growth with projections that the tourist traffic will grow around 4 per cent.

That would be in line with the long-term projections of 4.1 per cent growth through 2020.

"Despite downside risks facing global tourism twelve months ago in particular terrorism, health scares due to avian flu and rising oil prices2006 was another year of good growth above the long-term forecast rate of 4.1 per cent, backed up by one of the longest periods of sustained economic expansion", UNWTO Secretary General Francesco Frangialli said.

"As one of the most dynamic economic sectors, tourism has a key role in the fight against poverty," it said.