World Tourism rankings
 | This article needs to be updated. (February 2023) |
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. In the publication, destinations are ranked by the number of international visitor arrivals, by the revenue generated by inbound tourism, and by the expenditure of outbound travelers.
Most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals
In 2022 there were 963 million international tourists, with a growth of 111% compared to 2021 but a drop of -34.3% compared to 2019.[1] The top 10 international tourism destinations in 2022 were:[2][3]
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2022)[2][3] |
International tourist arrivals (2021)[3] |
Change (2021 to 2022) (%) |
Change (2020 to 2021) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
79.4 million | 48.4 million |  64 |
16.1
|
| 2 |  Spain |
71.7 million | 31.2 million | 130 |
64.7
|
| 3 |  United States |
50.9 million | 22.1 million | 130 |
15.0
|
| 4 |  Turkey |
50.5 million | 29.9 million | 69 |
88.3
|
| 5 |  Italy |
49.8 million | 26.9 million | 85 |
6.7
|
| 6 |  Mexico |
38.3 million | 31.9 million | 20 |
31.2
|
| 7 |  United Kingdom |
30.7 million | 6.3 million | 389 |
 41.3
|
| 8 |  Germany |
28.5 million | 11.7 million | 144 |
6.1
|
| 9 |  Greece |
27.8 million | 14.7 million | 89 |
99.4
|
| 10 |  Austria |
26.2 million | 12.7 million | 106 |
15.7
|
Africa
In 2019, there were 69.9 million international tourist arrivals to Africa (excluding Egypt and Libya), an increase of 2.4% from 2018.[4] In 2019, the top ten African destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2019)[4] |
International tourist arrivals (2018)[4] |
Change (2018 to 2019) (%) |
Change (2017 to 2018) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Egypt |
13.0 million | 11.3 million | 14.8 |
36.8
| |
| 2 |  Morocco |
12.9 million | 12.3 million | 5.2 |
8.3
| |
| 3 |  South Africa |
10.2 million | 10.5 million | 2.3 |
1.8
| |
| 4 |  Tunisia |
9.4 million | 8.3 million | 13.6 |
17.7
| |
| 5 |  Algeria |
2.4 million | 2.7 million | 10.8 |
8.4
| |
| 6 |  Zimbabwe |
2.3 million | 2.6 million | 10.8 |
5.9
| |
| 7 |  Mozambique |
2.0 million | 2.7 million | 26.4 |
89.6
| |
| 8 |  Ivory Coast |
– | 2.0 million | - | 9.2
| |
| 9 |  Kenya |
– | 1.9 million | - | 15.4
| |
| 10 |  Botswana |
– | 1.7 million | - | 2.0
| |
| Note: Egypt and Libya are classified under "Middle East" in the UNWTO.[5] | ||||||
Americas
In 2022, there were 156.2 million international tourist arrivals to the Americas, an increase of 90.9%.[4] In 2022, the top ten destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2022)[4] |
International tourist arrivals (2021)[4] |
Change (2021 to 2022) (%) |
Change (2020 to 2021) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
50.8 million | 22.2 million | 128.8 |
15.6
|
| 2 | Mexico |
38.3 million | 31.8 million | 20.4 |
31.4
|
| 3 |  Canada |
12.8 million | 3.0 million | 326.6 |
3.4
|
| 4 |  Dominican Republic |
6.9 million | 4.9 million | 40.8 |
104.1
|
| 5 |  Colombia |
4.5 million | 2.1 million | 114.2 |
74.9
|
| 6 |  Argentina |
3.8 million | 0.3 million | 1196.6 |
85.6
|
| 7 |  Brazil |
3.6 million | 0.7 million | 386.5 |
65.2
|
| 8 |  Jamaica |
2.4 million | 1.4 million | 71.4 |
66.3
|
| 9 |  Uruguay |
2.4 million | 0.2 million | 962.4 |
74.9
|
| 10 |  Costa Rica |
2.3 million | 1.3 million | 76.9 |
33.1
|
Asia and the Pacific
In 2019, there were 360.7 million international tourist arrivals to Asia-Pacific, an increase of 4.1% over 2018.[4] In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2019)[4] |
International tourist arrivals (2018)[4] |
Change (2018 to 2019) (%) |
Change (2017 to 2018) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
65.7 million | 62.9 million | 4.5 |
3.6
|
| 2 |  Thailand |
39.8 million | 38.2 million | 4.3 |
7.3
|
| 3 |  Japan |
32.2 million | 31.2 million | 3.2 |
8.7
|
| 4 |  Malaysia |
26.1 million | 25.8 million | 1.0 |
0.4
|
| 5 |  Hong Kong |
23.8 million | 29.3 million | 18.8 |
4.9
|
| 6 |  Macau |
18.6 million | 18.5 million | 0.8 |
7.2
|
| 7 |  Vietnam |
18.0 million | 15.5 million | 16.2 |
19.9
|
| 8 |  India |
17.9 million | 17.4 million | 2.8 |
12.1
|
| 9 |  South Korea |
17.5 million | 15.3 million | 14.0 |
15.1
|
| 10 |  Indonesia |
15.5 million | 13.4 million | 15.4 |
3.5
|
Europe
In 2022, there were 594.5 million international tourist arrivals to Europe, an increase of 95% over 2021.[4]Top 10 destinations of the last four years were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2022)[3] |
International tourist arrivals (2021)[3] |
International tourist arrivals (2020)[4] |
International tourist arrivals (2019)[4] |
Change (2021 to 2022) (%) |
Change (2020 to 2021) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
― | 48.4 million | 41.7 million | 90.9 million | — | 16.1
|
| 2 | Spain |
71.7 million | 31.2 million | 18.9 million | 83.5 million | 130 |
64.7
|
| 3 | Turkey |
50.5 million | 29.9 million | 15.9 million | 51.2 million | 69 |
88.3
|
| 4 | Italy |
49.8 million | 26.9 million | 25.2 million | 64.5 million | 85 |
6.7
|
| 5 | United Kingdom |
― | 6.3 million | 10.7 million | 39.4 million | ― | 41.3
|
| 6 | Germany |
28.5 million | 11.7 million | 12.4 million | 39.6 million | 144 |
6.1
|
| 7 | Greece |
27.8 million | 14.7 million | 7.4 million | 31.3 million | 89 |
99.4
|
| 8 | Austria |
26.2 million | 12.7 million | 15.1 million | 31.9 million | 106 |
15.7
|
| 9 |  Portugal |
― | 9.6 million | 6.5 million | 24.5 million | ― | 48.4
|
| 10 |  Netherlands |
15.9 million | 6.2 million | 7.3 million | 20.1 million | 155 |
14.0
|
West Asia
In 2019, there were 61.4 million international tourist arrivals to West Asia (excluding Iran and Israel), an increase of 2.1% over 2018. In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2019)[4] |
International tourist arrivals (2018)[4] |
Change (2018 to 2019) (%) |
Change (2017 to 2018) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia |
17.5 million | 15.5 million | 13.0 |
3.7
| |
| 2 |  United Arab Emirates |
16.7 million | 15.9 million | 5.1 |
0.8
| |
| 3 | Egypt |
13.0 million | 11.3 million | 14.8 |
36.8
| |
| 4 |  Iran |
9.1 million | 7.3 million | 24.4 |
49.9
| |
| 5 |  Israel |
4.6 million | 4.1 million | 10.5 |
14.1
| |
| 6 |  Jordan |
4.5 million | 4.2 million | 8.1 |
8.0
| |
| 7 |  Bahrain |
3.8 million | 4.4 million | 11.8 |
0.2
| |
| 8 |  Oman |
2.5 million | 2.3 million | 8.6 |
0.6
| |
| 9 |  Qatar |
2.1 million | 1.8 million | 17.4 |
19.4
| |
| 10 |  Lebanon |
1.9 million | 2.0 million | 1.4 |
5.8
| |
| Note: Iran is classified as part of "South Asia" in the UNWTO.[5]
Israel is classified as part of "Southern/Medit.Europe" in the UNWTO.[5] | ||||||
International tourism receipts
International tourism receipts reached USD 1 trillion in 2022, growing 50% in real terms compared to 2021, driven by the important rebound in international travel.[4] The World Tourism Organization reports the following destinations as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2022, with the United States by far the top earner.
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ billion) |
International tourism receipts (US$ billion) |
Change (local currency) (2021 to 2022) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
135.2 | 70.2 | 93%
|
| 2 | Spain |
72.9 | 34.5 | 137%
|
| 3 | United Kingdom |
68.2 | 33.1 | 129%
|
| 4 | France |
59.7 | 40.8 | 64%
|
| 5 | Italy |
44.3 | 25.2 | 98%
|
| 6 | Turkey |
41.2 | 26.6 | 55%
|
| 7 | United Arab Emirates |
― | 34.4 | ― |
| 8 | Germany |
31.5 | 22.3 | 59%
|
| 9 | Mexico |
28.0 | 19.8 | 42%
|
| 10 | Canada |
24.0 | 14.5 | 73%
|
Africa
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2019)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt |
13,030 |
| 2 | South Africa |
8,384 |
| 3 | Morocco |
8,179 |
| 4 |  Tanzania |
2,605 |
| 5 | Tunisia |
2,116 |
| 6 |  Mauritius |
1,779 |
| 7 |  Uganda |
1,463 |
| 8 |  Nigeria |
1,449 |
| 9 |  Ghana |
1,425 |
| 10 | Kenya |
1,072* |
| Note: Number for Kenya is for 2018. | ||
Americas
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2019)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
214,134 |
| 2 | Canada |
28,012 |
| 3 | Mexico |
24,573 |
| 4 | Dominican Republic |
7,468 |
| 5 | Brazil |
5,995 |
| 6 | Colombia |
5,652 |
| 7 | Argentina |
5,241 |
| 8 |  Panama |
4,521 |
| 9 |  Bahamas |
4,126 |
| 10 | Costa Rica |
4,010 |
Asia and the Pacific
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2019)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand |
60,521 |
| 2 | Japan |
46,054 |
| 3 |  Australia |
45,709 |
| 4 | Macau |
40,060 |
| 5 | China |
35,832 |
| 6 | India |
30,720 |
| 7 | Hong Kong |
29,043 |
| 8 | South Korea |
21,628 |
| 9 |  Singapore |
20,052 |
| 10 | Malaysia |
19,823 |
Europe
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ billion) (2022)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
72,9 |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
68,2 |
| 3 | France |
59,7 |
| 4 | Italy |
44,3 |
| 5 | Turkey |
41,2 |
| 6 | Germany |
31,5 |
| 7 | Portugal |
22,2 |
| 8 | Austria |
19,2 |
| 9 | Greece |
18,6 |
| 10 |  Switzerland |
16,2 |
West Asia
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2019)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates |
21,800 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia |
16,382 |
| 3 | Egypt |
13,030 |
| 4 | Lebanon |
8,593 |
| 5 | Israel |
7,600 |
| 6 | Jordan |
5,786 |
| 7 | Qatar |
5,442 |
| 8 | Iran |
4,402* |
| 9 | Bahrain |
3,681 |
| 10 |  Iraq |
3,593 |
| Note: Number for Iran is for 2017. | ||
International tourism expenditure
The World Tourism Organization reports the following source markets as the top ten spenders on international tourism for the year 2021 and 2022, with United States and China by far being the top spender:
| Rank | Country | International tourism expenditure (2022)[3] |
International tourism expenditure (2021)[3] |
Change (local currency) (2021 to 2022) (%) [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
$114.9 billion | $56.9 billion | 102
|
| 2 | China |
$114.8 billion | $109.4 billion | 10
|
| 3 | Germany |
$89.4 billion | $51.0 billion | 97
|
| 4 | France |
$47.7 billion | $34.8 billion | 54
|
| 5 | United Kingdom |
― | $24.3 billion | ― |
| 6 | Italy |
$26.3 billion | $15.0 billion | 97
|
| 7 | India |
$25.9 billion | $14.3 billion | ― |
| 8 | Canada |
$24.4 billion | $7.9 billion | 221
|
| 9 | Spain |
$21.4 billion | $12.3 billion | 95
|
| 10 | United Arab Emirates |
― | $21.8 billion | ― |
See also
References
- ^ "Tourism on Track for Full Recovery as New Data Shows Strong Start to 2023". www.unwto.org. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Global and regional tourism performance". www.unwto.org. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and Statistical Annex, December 2020 | World Tourism Organization". UNWTO World Tourism Barometer (English Version). 18 (7): 1–36. 18 December 2020. doi:10.18111/wtobarometereng.2020.18.1.7. S2CID 241989515.
- ^ a b c "WTO/ Member States of Middle East". World Tourism Organization. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
