Top 5 Most Visited Countries in The World
International tourism has come a long way to returning back to pre-pandemic levels. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports that international arrivals reached 80% of prior levels during the first quarter of 2023. That’s an estimated 235 million tourists traveling internationally in just three months, more than double the same period in 2022. The recovery has been robust across various regions, including Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East
Why has this happened? In addition to few (if any) restrictions on travel, the popularity of online travel and booking platforms makes it easy for jetsetters to buy flights from their phones. They can compare real-time prices, plan out personalized itineraries, and pay for bookings with a few button clicks.
We’ve also seen a blending of business and personal travel into longer, more flexible trips. Termed “bleisure” by travel fans, the concept gives business travelers an excuse to book a few extra days to see the sites and even bring friends or family along. It’s not surprising to see some of these trips lean toward the more exotic, with luxury accommodations and excursions becoming the norm for trips of all lengths.
So, where are people traveling? The Global Tourism Data of inbound tourists from the UNWTO gives a peek into the most popular destinations across the globe from data collected in 2023.
1. France
100 million visitors ($68.6 billion USD in receipts)
Tourism in France took a big jump in 2023, with Forbes reporting a 12.3% increase in just the first quarter. France currently has around 29,000 tourist accommodations for travelers to stay, with hotels making up 17,600 of those locations. Luxury hotels alone saw a jump in occupancies, an incredible 31.4% increase from the year before.
The region with the most hotels is the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, followed by Île-de-France, where Paris can be found.
2. Spain
85.17 million visitors ($92 billion USD in receipts)
Spain has seen phenomenal growth in its popularity as a tourist spot, with the Spanish Statistical Office reporting 5.2 million international tourists in December. This was an increase of 26.2% from the previous December and represented part of the total 18.7% increase for the entire year.
Where were visitors from? The United Kingdom sent the most tourists (907,752 million), followed by France (819,405 million) and Germany (561,521 million). All three countries had more tourists in 2023, with increases of 18% to 23% over 2022.
Spain is known for its lovely year-round weather, which may be why so many flock to its warm temps when other places turn cold. More visitors came in January than other months, and June was the least popular.
3. United States of America
66.48 million visitors ($175.9 USD in receipts)
While the U.S. is at number three on this list, the post-pandemic recovery it’s seeing lags a bit behind other countries. The U.S. Travel Association reports international travel volumes at 84% of 2019 levels, with a full recovery expected by 2025.
Visitors to the U.S. spend around $4,000 per visit and add $155 billion to the U.S. economy each year.
Of the countries that send the most tourists, many have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. These include the Caribbean and other countries in the Americas, as well as Europe. Visitors from China and Japan have been reluctant to return after COVID. Both send around half of the tourists they used to, leaving the U.S. economy with four million fewer shoppers to spend their vacation dollars.
4. Italy
57.25 million visitors ($55.9 billion USD in receipts)
Reuters reports that Italy broke records in 2023 with more international tourists visiting the country than domestic travelers. This hadn’t happened since the pandemic.
The influx of visitors created a boon for the hospitality industry, and Italy saw a 13.4% increase in hotel stays. The 134 million registered guests was an all-time high, with 10% more total nights booked in 2023 than in 2022.
However, all the buzz about Italy caused the country to rethink its hottest tourist spots, even limiting the number of hours vacationers could visit and charging for the most popular sites. Venice, for example, has instituted a fee system to move about the city during peak hours; Capri, Linosa, and other locales created an outright ban on cars for everyone but the locals.
5. Turkey
55.16 million visitors ($49.5 billion USD in receipts)
Turkey is known for its amazing scenery and year-round popularity, and over 550 of the country’s beaches were awarded blue flag status in 2023. The voluntary award recognizes beaches and marinas based on several “environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility” standards.
Its geographic location helps it attract tourists from Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Of all the places people come to see, Istanbul tops the list. In fact, the city was ranked as the most visited city in the world in 2023.
Each visitor spends around $952 per trip to Turkey, a 27% increase over 2019 (the last year tracked at pre-pandemic levels).