How Many Tourists Visit Each Country?

In 2024, approximately 1.5 billion international tourist trips were taken worldwide, fully recovering to pre-pandemic (2019) levels. That works out to roughly 47 tourists arriving somewhere in the world every single second, or about 4.1 million per day.

Tourism is one of the largest industries on the planet, accounting for about 10% of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. France has held the top spot as the most visited country for decades, welcoming nearly 100 million international visitors per year, more than its own population.

The counter above estimates how many international tourist arrivals have occurred so far this year, ticking in real time based on the annual rate of 1.5 billion arrivals distributed across the year with seasonal adjustments.

Top 30 Most Visited Countries

International tourist arrivals by country, based on the latest available UNWTO and national tourism board data (2024 figures, in millions).

Tourism by Region

Tourism Revenue vs. Arrivals

The most visited country is not always the highest earner. France leads in arrivals but the United States leads in tourism revenue at 85 billion per year, nearly triple France's revenue despite receiving fewer visitors. This is because American tourist spending per trip (hotels, dining, shopping, theme parks) is significantly higher. Similarly, the UAE and Japan earn disproportionately high revenue relative to visitor counts due to high-spending tourists.

Impact of COVID-19 and Recovery

International tourism collapsed in 2020, dropping from 1.46 billion arrivals in 2019 to just 400 million in 2020, a 73% decline, the worst in tourism history. Recovery was gradual: 2021 saw 456 million, 2022 jumped to 963 million, 2023 reached 1.3 billion, and 2024 finally matched pre-pandemic levels at approximately 1.5 billion.

Some destinations recovered faster than others. Mediterranean countries (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Croatia) bounced back quickly, while Asian destinations that maintained strict border controls (China, Japan) were slower to reopen and recover.

✈️ France Has Been the Worlds Most Visited Country for 30 Years

France receives roughly 90 million international visitors per year, more than any other country. Many of these tourists are Europeans making short cross-border trips rather than long-haul vacationers, which is why France beats Spain and the US despite being smaller. The Eiffel Tower alone draws 7 million visitors per year and is the most visited paid monument in the world.