World Tourism rankings
The World Tourism rankings are compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as part of their World Tourism Barometer publication, which is released three times throughout the year. In the publication, UN regions and subregions are ranked by the number of international visitor arrivals, by the revenue generated by inbound tourism, and by the expenditures of outbound travelers.
Contents
Most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals[edit]
In 2017, there were 1.323 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, with a growth of 6.8% as compared to 2016.[1] The top 10 international tourism destinations in 2017 were (2017 numbers are preliminary):
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2017)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
86.9 million | 82.7 million |  5.1 |
 2.1
|
| 2 |  Spain |
81.8 million | 75.3 million | 8.6 |
10.5
|
| 3 |  United States |
76.9 million | 76.4 million | 0.7 |
1.8
|
| 4 |  China |
60.7 million | 59.3 million | 2.5 |
4.2
|
| 5 |  Italy |
58.3 million | 52.4 million | 11.2 |
3.2
|
| 6 |  Mexico |
39.3 million | 35.1 million | 12.0 |
9.3
|
| 7 |  United Kingdom |
37.7 million | 35.8 million | 5.1 |
4.0
|
| 8 |  Turkey |
37.6 million | 30.3 million | 24.1 |
23.3
|
| 9 |  Germany |
37.5 million | 35.6 million | 5.2 |
1.8
|
| 10 |  Thailand |
35.4 million | 32.6 million | 8.6 |
8.9
|
Africa[edit]
In 2016, there were over 57.8 million international tourist arrivals to Africa, an increase of 7.8% from 2015. Preliminary numbers for 2017 indicate a similar increase.[1] In 2016, the top ten African destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2015)[2] |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
Change (2014 to 2015) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Morocco |
10.3 million | 10.2 million | 1.5 |
1.0
| |
| 2 |  South Africa |
10.0 million | 8.9 million | 12.8 |
6.8
| |
| 3 |  Tunisia |
5.7 million | 5.4 million | 6.8 |
25.2
| |
| 4 |  Egypt |
5.3 million | 9.1 million | 42.5 |
5.1
| |
| 5 |  Zimbabwe |
2.2 million | 2.0 million | 5.4 |
9.4
| |
| 6 |  Algeria |
2.0 million | 1.7 million | 19.2 |
25.7
| |
| 7 |  Nigeria |
1.9 million | 1.3 million | 50.5 |
– | |
| 8 |  Mozambique |
1.6 million | 1.6 million | 5.6 |
6.6
| |
| 9 |  Ivory Coast |
1.6 million | 1.4 million | 9.9 |
205.9
| |
| 10 |  Namibia |
1.5 million | 1.4 million | 5.8 |
5.1
| |
| Note: Egypt is classified under "Middle East" in the UNWTO.[3] | ||||||
Americas[edit]
In 2017, there were 208.7 million international tourist arrivals to the Americas, an increase of 4.0%.[1] In 2017, the top ten destinations were (2017 numbers are preliminary, Cuba numbers not yet available):
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2017)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
76.9 million | 76.4 million | 0.7 |
1.8
|
| 2 | Mexico |
39.3 million | 35.1 million | 12.0 |
9.3
|
| 3 |  Canada |
20.8 million | 20.0 million | 4.1 |
11.1
|
| 4 |  Argentina |
6.7 million | 6.6 million | 1.0 |
15.7
|
| 5 |  Brazil |
6.6 million | 6.5 million | 0.6 |
3.8
|
| 6 |  Chile |
6.5 million | 5.6 million | 14.3 |
26.0
|
| 7 |  Dominican Republic |
6.2 million | 6.0 million | 3.8 |
6.4
|
| 8 |  Cuba |
– | 4.0 million | – | 13.4
|
| 9 |  Peru |
4.0 million | 3.7 million | 7.7 |
8.4
|
| 10 |  Colombia |
4.0 million | 3.3 million | 21.4 |
11.4
|
Asia-Pacific[edit]
In 2017, there were over 323 million international tourist arrivals to Asia-Pacific, an increase of 5.6% over 2016.[1] In 2017, the top ten destinations were (2017 numbers are preliminary):
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2017)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
60.7 million | 59.3 million | 2.5 |
4.2
|
| 2 | Thailand |
35.4 million | 32.6 million | 8.6 |
8.9
|
| 3 |  Japan |
28.7 million | 24.0 million | 19.4 |
21.8
|
| 4 |  Hong Kong |
27.9 million | 26.6 million | 5.0 |
0.5
|
| 5 |  Malaysia |
26.0 million | 26.8 million | 3.0 |
4.0
|
| 6 |  Macau |
17.3 million | 15.7 million | 9.9 |
9.8
|
| 7 |  India |
15.5 million | 14.6 million | 6.7 |
9.7
|
| 8 |  Singapore |
13.9 million | 12.9 million | 7.7 |
7.2
|
| 9 |  South Korea |
13.3 million | 17.2 million | 22.7 |
30.3
|
| 10 |  Indonesia |
12.9 million | 11.0 million | 16.9 |
11.1
|
Europe[edit]
In 2017, there were over 670 million international tourist arrivals to Europe, an increase of 8.3% over 2016.[1] In 2017, the top ten destinations were (2017 numbers are preliminary):
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2017)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
86.9 million | 82.7 million | 5.1 |
2.1
|
| 2 | Spain |
81.8 million | 75.3 million | 8.6 |
10.5
|
| 3 | Italy |
58.3 million | 52.4 million | 11.2 |
3.2
|
| 4 | United Kingdom |
37.7 million | 35.8 million | 5.1 |
4.0
|
| 5 | Turkey |
37.6 million | 30.3 million | 24.1 |
23.3
|
| 6 | Germany |
37.5 million | 35.6 million | 5.2 |
1.8
|
| 7 |  Austria |
29.5 million | 28.1 million | 4.8 |
5.2
|
| 8 |  Greece |
27.2 million | 24.8 million | 9.7 |
5.1
|
| 9 |  Russia |
24.4 million | 24.6 million | 0.7 |
8.5
|
| 10 |  Portugal |
21.2 million | 18.2 million | 16.5 |
– |
Middle East[edit]
In 2016, there were 55.6 million international tourist arrivals to the Middle East (excluding Turkey, Iran and Israel), a decrease of 4.4% over 2015. Preliminary numbers for 2017 indicate an increase of 4.6%.[1] In 2016, the top ten destinations were:
| Rank | Destination | International tourist arrivals (2016)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2015)[2] |
Change (2015 to 2016) (%) |
Change (2014 to 2015) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey |
30.3 million | 39.5 million | 23.3 |
5.3
| |
| 2 |  Saudi Arabia |
18.0 million | 18.0 million | 0.3 |
1.5
| |
| 3 |  United Arab Emirates |
14.9 million | 14.2 million | 4.7 |
7.6
| |
| 4 | Egypt |
5.3 million | 9.1 million | 42.5 |
5.1
| |
| 5 |  Iran |
4.9 million | 5.2 million | 5.6 |
5.4
| |
| 6 |  Jordan |
3.6 million | 3.8 million | 5.2 |
5.7
| |
| 7 |  Qatar |
2.9 million | 2.9 million | 0.1 |
3.7
| |
| 8 |  Israel |
2.9 million | 2.8 million | 3.6 |
4.4
| |
| 9 |  Oman |
2.3 million | 1.9 million | 20.1 |
17.8
| |
| 10 |  Lebanon |
1.7 million | 1.5 million | 11.2 |
12.1
| |
| Note: Iran is classified as part of "South Asia" in the UNWTO.[3]
Turkey and Israel are classified as part of "Southern/Medit.Europe" in the UNWTO.[3] | ||||||
International tourism receipts[edit]
International tourism receipts grew to US$1,340 billion in 2017, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.9% from 2016.[1] The World Tourism Organization reports the following destinations as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2017, with the United States by far the top earner.
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ billion) (2017)[1] |
International tourism receipts (US$ billion) |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
210.7 | 206.9 | 1.9%
|
| 2 | Spain |
68.0 | 60.5 | 10.1%
|
| 3 | France |
60.7 | 54.5 | 9.0%
|
| 4 | Thailand |
57.5 | 48.8 | 13.1%
|
| 5 | United Kingdom |
51.2 | 47.9 | 12.1%
|
| 6 | Italy |
44.2 | 40.2 | 7.7%
|
| 7 |  Australia |
41.7 | 37.0 | 9.3%
|
| 8 | Germany |
39.8 | 37.5 | 4.2%
|
| 9 | Macau |
35.6 | 30.4 | 17.6%
|
| 10 | Japan |
34.1 | 30.7 | 14.4%
|
Africa[edit]
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2017)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa |
8,818 |
| 2 | Egypt |
7,775 |
| 3 | Morocco |
7,417 |
| 4 | Nigeria |
2,549 |
| 5 |  Tanzania |
2,339 |
| 6 |  Mauritius |
1,748 |
| 7 | Tunisia |
1,299 |
| 8 |  Sudan |
1,029 |
| 9 |  Kenya |
926 |
| 10 |  Uganda |
918 |
Americas[edit]
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2017)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
210,747 |
| 2 | Mexico |
21,333 |
| 3 | Canada |
20,328 |
| 4 | Dominican Republic |
7,178 |
| 5 | Brazil |
5,809 |
| 6 | Argentina |
5,060 |
| 7 | Colombia |
4,821 |
| 8 |  Panama |
4,452 |
| 9 |  Puerto Rico |
4,090 |
| 10 |  Costa Rica |
3,876 |
Asia-Pacific[edit]
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2017)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand |
57,477 |
| 2 | Australia |
41,732 |
| 3 | Macau |
35,575 |
| 4 | Japan |
34,054 |
| 5 | Hong Kong |
33,304 |
| 6 | China |
32,617 |
| 7 | India |
27,365 |
| 8 | Singapore |
19,707 |
| 9 | Malaysia |
18,323 |
| 10 | South Korea |
13,427 |
Europe[edit]
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2017)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
67,964 |
| 2 | France |
60,681 |
| 3 | United Kingdom |
51,211 |
| 4 | Italy |
44,233 |
| 5 | Germany |
39,823 |
| 6 | Turkey |
22,478 |
| 7 | Austria |
20,400 |
| 8 |  Switzerland |
17,003 |
| 9 | Greece |
16,528 |
| 10 |  Netherlands |
15,867 |
Middle East[edit]
| Rank | Region | International tourism receipts (US$ million) (2017)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey |
22,478 |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates |
21,048 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia |
12,056 |
| 4 | Lebanon |
7,611 |
| 5 | Egypt |
7,775 |
| 6 | Israel |
6,821 |
| 7 | Qatar |
5,971 |
| 8 | Jordan |
4,639 |
| 9 | Iran |
3,713* |
| 10 |  Iraq |
2,423* |
| Note: Numbers for Iran and Iraq are for 2016. | ||
International tourism expenditures[edit]
The World Tourism Organization reports the following source countries as the top ten spenders on international tourism for the year 2017, with China by far being the top spender:
| Rank | Country | International tourism expenditure (2017)[1] |
International tourism expenditure (2016)[4] |
Change (2016 to 2017) (%) [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
$257.7 billion | $250.1 billion | 4.7
|
| 2 | United States |
$135.0 billion | $123.6 billion | 9.3
|
| 3 | Germany |
$89.1 billion | $79.8 billion | 9.4
|
| 4 | United Kingdom |
$71.4 billion | $64.8 billion | 2.4
|
| 5 | France |
$41.4 billion | $40.3 billion | 0.8
|
| 6 | Australia |
$34.2 billion | $30.8 billion | 7.7
|
| 7 | Canada |
$31.8 billion | $28.7 billion | 8.5
|
| 8 | Russia |
$31.1 billion | $24.0 billion | 29.7
|
| 9 | South Korea |
$30.6 billion | $27.2 billion | 12.3
|
| 10 | Italy |
$27.7 billion | $25.0 billion | 8.9
|
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2018 Edition | World Tourism Organization".
- ^ a b "UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2017 Edition | World Tourism Organization".
- ^ a b c "WTO/ Member States of Middle East". World Tourism Organization. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
- ^ "UNWTO World Tourism Barometer April 2018" (PDF).
