World Tourism rankings

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Countries by tourist arrivals in 2019 Tourists in world.svg
Countries by tourist arrivals in 2019

The World Tourism rankings are compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as part of their World Tourism Barometer publication, which is released up to six times per year. It ranks destinations by the number of international visitor arrivals, by the revenue generated by inbound tourism, and by the expenditure of outbound travelers.

Contents

Most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals

In 2024, there were 1.45 billion international tourists, with a growth of 11.5% compared to 2023. [1] The top ten destinations were: [1]

International tourist arrivals (in millions)
Destination2024 [1] Change
(2023 to
2024)
(%)		2023 [2] 2022 [3]
Flag of France.svg  France 102.0Increase2.svg 210079.4
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 93.8Increase2.svg 10.185.271.7
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 72.4Increase2.svg 8.366.550.9
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 60.6Increase2.svg 10.555.250.5
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 57.8Increase2.svg 1.457.249.8
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 45.0Increase2.svg 6.642.238.3
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 41.8Increase2.svg 12.237.230.7
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 37.5Increase2.svg 7.834.828.5
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 36.9Increase2.svg 47.025.13.8
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 36.0Increase2.svg 10.132.727.8

Rankings by continent

Africa

In 2024, Africa welcomed approximately 75 million international tourist arrivals, reflecting a strong recovery in the continent’s tourism industry. [4] The top ten African destinations in 2024 were:

International tourist arrivals (in millions)
Destination2024 [4] 2023 [5] 2022 [6]
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 17.414.5210.87
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 15.714.9011.72
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 10.258.36.44
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 8.928.55.7
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 3.53.02.2
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 2.42.01.48
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 2.141.81.4
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 1.41.31.0
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 1.21.00.8
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 1.10.90.7

Americas

In 2024, there were 213.4 million international tourist arrivals to the Americas, an increase of 6.7% compared to 2023. In 2024, the top ten destinations were:

International tourist arrivals (in millions)
Destination2024 [7] [8] 2023 [note 1] 2022 [note 2]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 72.466.350.8
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 45.041.938.3
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 20.018.312.8
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic 8.58.07.1
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 6.75.93.6
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 6.67.23.8
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 6.55.84.5
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico 5.65.04.2
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 5.23.72.0
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 3.22.52.0

Asia (incl. Middle East)

In 2024, the top ten destinations were:

International tourist arrivals (in millions)
Destination2024 [note 3] 2023 [note 4] 2022 [note 5]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 64.935.5―
Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 45.034.00.6
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 36.925.13.8
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 35.528.211.2
Flag of Macau.svg  Macau 34.928.25.7
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 29.727.016.6
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 25.020.110.1
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 18.7217.1514.36
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 17.512.63.7
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 16.411.03.2

Europe

In 2024, there were 747.3 million international tourist arrivals to Europe, an increase of 5.5% over 2023. Top 10 destinations of the last four years were:

International tourist arrivals (in millions)
Destination2024 [3] 2023 [3] 2022
Flag of France.svg  France 102.0100.093.2
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 93.885.271.6
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 60.655.250.5
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 57.957.349.9
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom ―37.230.7
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 37.534.828.4
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 36.032.727.8
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 32.230.926.2
Flag of Portugal (official).svg  Portugal ―26.522.2
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 21.220.316.1

International tourism receipts

International tourism receipts are the earnings a country makes from foreign visitors' spending on goods and services during their stay, such as expenditures accommodation, food and drink, and shopping. In 2024, the top ten destinations were:

International tourism receipts (US$billions) [1]
Region20242023% Change
(local currency)
(2023 to 2024)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 215.0189.1Increase2.svg 13.7%
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 106.592.0Increase2.svg 15.8%
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 84.573.4Increase2.svg 15.1%
Flag of France.svg  France 77.171.2Increase2.svg 8.3%
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 58.755.9Increase2.svg 5.0%
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 57.0
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 56.350.1Increase2.svg 12.4%
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 54.738.6Increase2.svg 38.1%
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 52.046.1Increase2.svg 12.4%
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 49.945.4Increase2.svg 8.8%

International tourism expenditure

The top ten spenders on international tourism for 2024 were:

International tourism expenditure (US$ billion)
Country20242023 [2] 2022 [3]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 250.6196.5114.8
Flag of the United States.svg United States 177.8150.0114.9
Flag of Germany.svg Germany 120.3111.989.4
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 119.2110.3―
Flag of France.svg France 60.049.047.7
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 45.6
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 43.438.324.4
Flag of Russia.svg Russia 38.933.0―
Flag of Italy.svg Italy 35.734.226.5
Flag of India.svg India 35.033.325.9

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Global and regional tourism performance". UN Tourism. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 "World Tourism Barometer" (PDF). World Tourism Organization. May 2024. p. 19. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "International Tourism – 2023 starts on a strong note with the Middle East recovering 2019 levels in the first quarter" (PDF). webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Africa's 9 most visited countries". Business Insider Africa. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "Africa News Issue 23". UN Tourism. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "UNWTO 2022: A Year in Review". UN Tourism. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  7. ↑ "Global and regional tourism performance". www.unwto.org. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "World Tourism Barometer Statistical Annex" (PDF). The World Tourism Organization.

Notes

  1. ↑ All 2023 (Americas) figures from official national tourism authorities and government statistical releases:
    1. "International Visitor Arrivals to the United States – 2023" (PDF). U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). May 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    2. "Turismo de Internación a México 2023". Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR) / INEGI. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    3. "Year-in-Review 2023 – Overnight Arrivals". Destination Canada. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    4. "Informe de Turismo 2023" (PDF). Ministerio de Turismo de la República Dominicana (MITUR). January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    5. "Brasil recebeu 5,9 milhões de turistas estrangeiros em 2023". Ministério do Turismo / Embratur. January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    6. "Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2023" (PDF). Ministerio de Turismo y Deportes de Argentina. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    7. "En 2023 más de 5,86 millones de viajeros no residentes llegaron a Colombia". Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (MinCIT). January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    8. "Discover Puerto Rico Annual Report 2023". Discover Puerto Rico / Puerto Rico Tourism Company. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    9. "Perfil del Turista Receptivo 2023". Subsecretaría de Turismo de Chile. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    10. "Perú recibió 2,5 millones de turistas extranjeros en 2023". Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo (MINCETUR). February 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ↑ All 2022 (Americas) figures from official national tourism statistics and government sources:
    1. "International Visitation to the United States — 2022" (PDF). U.S. National Travel & Tourism Office (NTTO). May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    2. "Results of Tourism Activity — December 2022 (International Visitors to Mexico)" (PDF). SECTUR / INEGI (DataTur). January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    3. "Year-in-Review 2022 — Overnight Arrivals" (PDF). Destination Canada. 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    4. "Datos 2022 — Llegadas de Extranjeros No Residentes". Ministerio de Turismo de la República Dominicana (SITUR / MITUR). 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    5. "Brasil recebe mais de 3,63 milhões de turistas estrangeiros em 2022". Ministério do Turismo do Brasil. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    6. "Anuario Estadístico de Turismo 2022" (PDF). Ministerio de Turismo y Deportes de la Nación (Argentina). 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    7. "Colombia cerró 2022 con 4,6 millones de visitantes no residentes". Fondo Nacional de Turismo (FONTUR) / MinCIT (cifras Migración Colombia). 21 September 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    8. "Discover Puerto Rico Announces 2022 as a Record-Setting Year". Discover Puerto Rico (DMO). 8 December 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    9. "Más de dos millones de turistas extranjeros visitaron Chile en 2022". Subsecretaría de Turismo (Gobierno de Chile). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    10. "Informe de Transferencia de Gestión del Sector — 2023 (Cierre 2022)" (PDF). Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo (MINCETUR, Perú). 9 May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Official 2024 (Asia) data from national tourism authorities and statistics offices:
    1. "610 Million Exit-Entry Trips Recorded in 2024 (incl. 64.882 million foreign nationals' trips)". National Immigration Administration (China). 15 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    2. "HKTB: Close to 45 Million Visitors in 2024 (provisional)" (PDF). Hong Kong Tourism Board. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    3. "Japan caps record year with 36.87 million visitors in 2024". Reuters. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    4. "Thailand 2024 foreign tourist arrivals at 35.5 million". Reuters. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    5. "Visitor arrivals for the whole year of 2024". DSEC Macao. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    6. "Saudi Arabia reports 29.7 million international visitors in 2024". Argaam (citing Ministry of Tourism). 22 June 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    7. "Malaysia reports just over 25 million international tourists in 2024". Reuters. 5 February 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    8. "Dubai Welcomes 18.72 Million International Visitors (2024)". Dubai DET. 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    9. "VNAT: More than 17.5 million international visitors in 2024". Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). 7 January 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    10. "KTO: South Korea welcomed 16.37 million foreign visitors in 2024". The Korea Herald. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Official 2023 (Asia) data from national tourism authorities and government publications:
    1. "Number of China's Exit-Entry Personnel Exceeds 424 Million in 2023 (incl. 35.478 million foreign nationals)". National Immigration Administration (China). 22 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    2. "HKTB Announces 34 Million Full-Year Visitor Arrivals in 2023" (PDF). Hong Kong Tourism Board. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    3. "JNTO: 25.07 million international visitors in 2023". Travel Voice (JNTO data). 23 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    4. "Bank of Thailand MPR: 28.2 million foreign tourists in 2023" (PDF). Bank of Thailand. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    5. "Tourism Statistics 2023 (Q4): Full-year visitor arrivals". DSEC Macao. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    6. "UN Tourism applauds Saudi Arabia's milestone – 27 million international in 2023". UN Tourism. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    7. "Malaysia Tourism Key Performance Indicators 2023" (PDF). Tourism Malaysia / MOTAC. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    8. "Dubai Annual Tourism Report: 17.15 million visitors in 2023". Dubai DET. 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    9. "International visitors to Viet Nam reach 12.6 million in 2023". VNAT. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    10. "KTO: 11.03 million foreign tourists in 2023". Korea.net (KTO). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Official 2022 (Asia) data from national tourism agencies and statistical offices:
    1. "HKTB: 2022 Full-Year Arrivals" (PDF). Hong Kong Tourism Board. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    2. "Japan records 3.8 million foreign visitors in 2022". Xinhua. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    3. "Thailand beats 2022 tourism target with 11.15 million arrivals". Reuters. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    4. "Visitor arrivals for 2022". Gov. of Macao SAR. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    5. "UNWTO: Saudi Arabia 16.6 million in 2022". Arabian Business. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    6. "Malaysia recorded 10.07 million tourist arrivals in 2022". Tourism Malaysia. 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    7. "Annual Visitor Report 2022". Dubai DET. 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    8. "Viet Nam welcomed 3.66 million international visitors in 2022". VNAT. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
    9. "Foreign tourist arrivals rebounded to 3.2 million in 2022". The Korea Times. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
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