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
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...
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, and by the cost, expenditure 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 (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, 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, 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 (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
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...
reports the following destinations as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2019, with the United States by far the top earner.
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Middle East
International tourism expenditure
The
World Tourism Organization
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...
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
*Tourism
*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