The World Tourism rankings are compiled by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
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
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...
generated by inbound
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
, and by the
expenditure
An expense is an item requiring an outflow of money, or any form of fortune in general, to another person or group as payment for an item, service, or other category of costs. For a tenant, rent is an expense. For students or parents, tuition ...
of outbound travelers.
Most visited destinations by international tourist arrivals
In 2019 there were 1.459 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, with a growth of 3.7% as compared to 2018.
The top 10 international tourism destinations in 2019 were:
Africa
In 2019, there were 69.9 million international tourist arrivals to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
(excluding Egypt and Libya), an increase of 2.4% from 2018.
In 2019, the top ten African destinations were:
Americas
In 2019, there were 219.1 million international tourist arrivals to the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
, an increase of 1.5%.
In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
Asia and the Pacific
In 2019, there were 360.7 million international tourist arrivals to
Asia-Pacific, an increase of 4.1% over 2018.
In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
Europe
In 2019, there were 744.3 million international tourist arrivals to
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, an increase of 3.9% over 2017.
In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
Middle East
In 2019, there were 61.4 million international tourist arrivals to the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
(excluding Cyprus, Iran, Israel, and Turkey), an increase of 2.1% over 2018. In 2019, the top ten destinations were:
International tourism receipts
International tourism receipts grew to billion in 2019, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 2.7% from 2018.
The
World Tourism Organization reports the following destinations as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2019, with the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
by far the top earner.
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Middle East
International tourism expenditure
The
World Tourism Organization reports the following source markets as the top ten spenders on international tourism for the year 2019, with China by far being the top spender:
See also
*
List of cities by international visitors
This is a list of top 100 cities ranked by the number of international visitors, including all international arrivals by land, air, and sea, for tourist or business purposes. The consulting firm Euromonitor and the financial services
Financial ...
*
Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
*
World Travel Monitor
References
External links
*
List of countries by international inbound tourists
{{Tourism in South America
Lists of countries by economic indicator
International rankings
Tourism-related lists
World Tourism Organization