World Tourism rankings
The World Tourism rankings are compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 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.
Most-visited countries by international tourist arrivals in 2014
In 2014, there were 1.133 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, with a growth of 4.3% as compared to 1.087 billion in 2013.[1] The top 10 international tourism destinations in 2014 were:[1][2]
| Rank | Country | UNWTO Region [3] |
International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[1] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  France |
Europe | 83.7 million | 83.6 million |  0.1 |
2.0
|
| 2 |  United States |
North America | 74.8 million | 70.0 million | 6.8 |
5.0
|
| 3 |  Spain |
Europe | 65.0 million | 60.7 million | 7.1 |
5.6
|
| 4 |  China |
Asia | 55.6 million | 55.7 million |  0.1 |
3.5
|
| 5 |  Italy |
Europe | 48.6 million | 47.7 million | 1.8 |
2.9
|
| 6 |  Turkey |
Europe | 39.8 million | 37.8 million | 5.3 |
5.9
|
| 7 |  Germany |
Europe | 33.0 million | 31.5 million | 4.6 |
3.7
|
| 8 |  United Kingdom |
Europe | 32.6 million | 31.1 million | 5.0 |
6.1
|
| 9 |  Russia |
Europe | 29.8 million | 28.4 million | 5.3 |
10.2
|
| 10 |  Mexico |
North America | 29.1 million | 24.2 million | 20.5 |
3.2
|
Africa and the Middle East
Africa
In 2013, there were over 55.7 million international tourist arrivals to Africa, an increase of 5.4% over 2012. In 2013, the top ten African destinations were:[4]
| Rank | Country | International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[5] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Morocco |
10.2 million | 10.0 million | 2.4 |
7.2
| |
| 2 |  South Africa |
9.5 million | 9.5 million | 0.1 |
3.8
| |
| 3 |  Tunisia |
6.0 million | 6.2 million | 3.2 |
5.3
| |
| 4 |  Algeria |
— | 2.7 million | — | 3.7
| |
| 5 |  Mozambique |
— | 1.8 million | — | 10.7
| |
| 6 |  Zimbabwe |
1.8 million | 1.8 million | 2.6 |
2.1
| |
| 7 |  Somalia |
— | 1.4 million | — | 11.5
| |
| 8 |  Uganda |
— | 1.2 million | — | 0.8
| |
| 9 |  Namibia |
— | 1.1 million | — | 9.0
| |
| 10 |  Senegal |
— | 1.0 million | — | 10.5
| |
| Note: Egypt is classified under "Middle East" in UNWTO's scheme.[6] | ||||||
Middle East
In 2014, there were over 51 million international tourist arrivals to the Middle East, an increase of 5.0% over 2013. In 2014, the top ten destinations were:[4][7]
| Rank | Country | International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[5] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia |
15.0 million | 12 million | 12.8 |
6.3
| |
| 2 |  United Arab Emirates |
--- | 9.9 million | — | 17.9
| |
| 3 |  Egypt |
9.6 million | 9.1 million | 5.0 |
18.1
| |
| 4 |  Iran |
6.0 million | 4.7 million | 27.7 |
24.4
| |
| 5 |  Jordan |
3.9 million | 3.9 million | 1.1 |
5.2
| |
| 6 |  Israel |
2.9 million | 2.9 million | 1.2 |
2.6
| |
| 7 |  Qatar |
2.8 million | 2.6 million | 8.2 |
11.3
| |
| 8 |  Oman |
— | 1.5 million | — | 7.9
| |
| 9 |  Lebanon |
1.3 million | 1.2 million | 6.3 |
6.7
| |
| 10 |  Bahrain |
— | 1.0 million | — | 5.4
| |
| Note 1: Israel is classified under the "Southern & Mediterranean Europe" category [8] and Note 2: Iran is classified as part of "South Asia" in the UNWTO scheme.[6] | ||||||
The Americas
In 2014, there were over 181 million international tourist arrivals to the Americas, an increase of 8.0% over 2013. In 2014, the top ten destinations were:[9]
| Rank | Country | International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[5] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
74.7 million | 69.9 million | 6.8 |
5.0
|
| 2 | Mexico |
29.1 million | 24.1 million | 20.5 |
3.2
|
| 3 |  Canada |
16.5 million | 16.0 million | 2.9 |
1.7
|
| 4 |  Brazil |
6.4 million | 5.8 million | 9.1 |
2.4
|
| 5 |  Argentina |
5.9 million | 5.2 million | 13.1 |
6.1
|
| 6 |  Dominican Republic |
5.1 million | 4.6 million | 9.6 |
2.8
|
| 7 |  Colombia [10] |
4.2 million | 2.2 million | 12.1 |
5.1
|
| 8 |  Chile |
3.6 million | 3.5 million | 2.7 |
0.6
|
| 9 |  Puerto Rico |
3.2 million | 3.2 million | 1.4 |
4.3
|
| 10 |  Peru |
3.2 million | 3.2 million | 1.6 |
11.2
|
Asia and the Pacific
In 2014, there were over around 263.0 million international tourist arrivals to Asia and the Pacific, an increase of 5.0% over 2013. In 2014, the top ten destinations were:[1]
| Rank | Country | International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[5] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | People's Republic of China |
55.6 million | 55.6 million | 0.1 |
3.5
|
| 2 |  Hong Kong |
27.8 million | 25.6 million | 8.2 |
8.0
|
| 3 |  Malaysia |
27.4 million | 25.7 million | 6.7 |
2.7
|
| 4 |  Thailand |
24.8 million | 26.5 million | 6.7 |
18.8
|
| 5 |  Singapore[11] |
15.0 million | 15.6 million | 3.0 |
7.4
|
| 6 |  Macau |
14.6 million | 14.3 million | 2.1 |
5.1
|
| 7 |  South Korea |
14.2 million | 12.2 million | 16.6 |
9.3
|
| 8 |  Japan |
13.4 million | 10.4 million | 29.4 |
24.0
|
| 9 |  Taiwan |
10.4 million | 9.0 million | 23.6 |
9.6
|
| 10 |  Indonesia |
9.4 million | 8.8 million | 7.2 |
9.4
|
Europe
In 2014, there were over 582 million international tourist arrivals to Europe, an increase of 3.0% over 2013. In 2014, the top ten destinations were:[4]
| Rank | Country | International tourist arrivals (2014)[1] |
International tourist arrivals (2013)[5] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France |
83.7 million | 83.6 million | 0.1 |
2.0
|
| 2 | Spain |
65.0 million | 60.7 million | 7.1 |
5.6
|
| 3 | Italy |
48.6 million | 47.7 million | 1.8 |
2.9
|
| 4 | Turkey |
39.8 million | 37.8 million | 5.3 |
5.9
|
| 5 | Germany |
33.0 million | 31.5 million | 4.6 |
3.7
|
| 6 | United Kingdom |
32.6 million | 31.1 million | 5.0 |
6.1
|
| 7 | Russia |
29.8 million | 28.4 million | 5.3 |
10.2
|
| 8 |  Austria |
25.2 million | 24.8 million | 1.9 |
2.7
|
| 9 |  Greece |
22.0 million | 17.9 million | 23.0 |
15.5
|
| 10 |  Poland |
16.0 million | 15.8 million | 1.3 |
6.5
|
International tourism receipts in 2014
International tourism receipts grew to US$1,245 billion in 2014, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 3.7% from 2013.[12] The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2014, with the United States by far the top earner.
| Rank | Country | UNWTO Region[3] |
International tourism receipts (2014)[1] |
International tourism receipts (2013)[13] |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
Change (2012 to 2013) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
North America | $177.2 billion | $172.9 billion | 2.5 |
7.0
|
| 2 | Spain |
Europe | $65.2 billion | $62.6 billion | 4.2 |
7.6
|
| 3 | China |
Asia | $56.9 billion | $51.7 billion | 10.2 |
3.3
|
| 4 | France |
Europe | $55.4 billion | $56.7 billion | 2.3 |
5.6
|
| 5 | Macau |
Asia | $50.8 billion | $51.8 billion | 1.9 |
18.1
|
| 6 | Italy |
Europe | $45.5 billion | $43.9 billion | 3.7 |
6.6
|
| 7 | United Kingdom |
Europe | $45.3 billion | $41.0 billion | 10.3 |
12.1
|
| 8 | Germany |
Europe | $43.3 billion | $41.3 billion | 5.0 |
8.2
|
| 9 | Thailand |
Asia | $38.4 billion | $41.8 billion | 8.0 |
23.4
|
| 10 | Hong Kong |
Asia | $38.4 billion | $38.9 billion | 1.4 |
17.7
|
International tourism expenditure in 2014
The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten biggest spenders on international tourism for the year 2014.[1]
| Rank | Country | UNWTO Region[3] |
International tourism expenditure (2014)[1] |
International tourism expenditure (2013)[5] |
Market Share (%) |
Change (2013 to 2014) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
Asia | $164.9 billion | $128.6 billion | 13.2 |
27.1
|
| 2 | United States |
North America | $110.8 billion | $104.1 billion | 8.9 | 6.4
|
| 3 | Germany |
Europe | $92.2 billion | $91.4 billion | 7.4 | 0.9
|
| 4 | United Kingdom |
Europe | $57.6 billion | $52.7 billion | 4.6 | 3.8
|
| 5 | Russia |
Europe | $50.4 billion | $53.5 billion | 4.0 | 13.7
|
| 6 | France |
Europe | $47.8 billion | $42.9 billion | 3.8 | 11.3
|
| 7 | Canada |
North America | $33.8 billion | $35.2 billion | 2.7 | 3.3
|
| 8 | Italy |
Europe | $28.8 billion | $27.0 billion | 2.3 | 6.9
|
| 9 |  Australia |
Oceania | $26.3 billion | $28.6 billion | 2.1 | 1.7
|
| 10 | Brazil |
South America | $25.6 billion | $25.0 billion | 2.1 | 11.7
|
Top International Tourist Destination Cities
Apart from the UN, the Euromonitor International has conducted a research in world tourism ranking by cities in 2014.[14]
| Rank | City | Country | Region | International tourist (Millions) (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
Asia | 27.7 |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom |
Europe | 17.4 |
| 3 | Singapore | Singapore |
Asia | 17.1 |
| 4 | Bangkok | Thailand |
Asia | 16.2 |
| 5 | Paris | France |
Europe | 15.0 |
| 6 | Macao | Macau |
Asia | 15.0 |
| 7 | Shenzhen | China |
Asia | 13.1 |
| 8 | New York City | United States |
North America | 12.2 |
| 9 | Istanbul | Turkey |
Europe/Asia | 11.9 |
| 10 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia |
Asia | 11.6 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2015 Edition" (Press release). UNWTO. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ "Interim Update" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. UNWTO. April 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
- ^ a b c See [1] Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ a b c "2012 Tourism Highlights" (PDF). UNWTO. July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "2013 Tourism Highlights" (PDF). World Tourism Organization. July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ a b "WTO/ Member States of South Asia". World Tourism Organization. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
- ^ "Recovery Confirmed, but Growth Remains Uneven" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. 8 (2). UNWTO. June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ "WTO/ Member States of Europe". World Tourism Organization. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
- ^ "Interim Update" (PDF). UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. UNWTO. July 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Récord histórico en ingreso de extranjeros a Colombia por vía aérea - Viajar - El Tiempo". EL TIEMPO (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Tourism Statistics Publications" (PDF). Singapore Tourism Board. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ "International tourism receipts surpass US$ 1 trillion in 2011" (Press release). UNWTO. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ "World's top destinations by international tourism receipts" (PDF). World Tourism Barometer. UNWTO. July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ Top 100 City Destinations Ranking
