Global Tourism Trends: Spending, Earnings, and Top Destinations

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has released data highlighting the countries that spent the most on tourism, earned the most from it, and were the most visited in 2023.

German, British, and Italian tourists rank among the highest spenders in global travel. In 2023, Chinese tourists led the spending, totaling approximately $197 billion, reclaiming the top spot from American tourists, who spent around $123 billion. Germans followed with $112 billion, while British tourists spent almost $110 billion. Other high spenders included tourists from Canada, Italy, India, Russia, and Korea, with Italy moving up from 10th to 7th place.

The United States topped the list of tourism earners, generating $176billion in 2023. Spain followed with $92 billion, the UK with $74billion, France with $69 billion, and Italy with $56 billion. The rest of the top 15 included the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Australia, Canada, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Macao (China), India, and Mexico.

France remained the most visited country, attracting 100 million international tourists in 2023, a number expected to rise with the 2024 Paris Olympics. Spain was the second most visited, with 85 million tourists. The US, Italy, and Turkey followed, with 66 million, 57 million, and 55 million visitors, respectively. Europe dominated the list, with Italy, Germany, and Austria among the top destinations, making it the most popular region for international travelers.

China, traditionally a top destination, saw a significant drop in visitors due to stringent COVID-19 entry requirements, falling from 65.7 million in 2019 to 35.5 million in 2023.

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