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Economy > Tourist arrivals: Countries Compared

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Author: Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Tourism continues expanding year-to-year, according to <a href= http://www.world-tourism.org>World Tourist Organization</a> numbers. In 2002, international tourist arrivals topped 700 million for the first time, and increased by about 16 million from 2001.<p>Worldwide earnings from international tourism in 2002 were US$474 billion, or US$1.3 billion per day. That’s US$675 per tourist. <p>The United States earned US$67 billion followed by Spain, France and Italy, which earned from US$27 billion to US$34 billion. <p> Per-tourist spending is almost US$1,000 in the Americas, US$720 in Asia-Pacific, US$600 in Europe, and US$470 in the Middle East. <p>The top 10 spenders on tourism are the U.S., Germany, U.K., Japan, France, Italy, China, Netherlands, Hong Kong and the Russian Federation. <p>The World Tourist Organization estimates international tourist arrivals will reach 1.56 billion by 2020, and that the top three destination regions will be Europe (717 million), East Asia and the Pacific (397 million) and the Americas (282 million).
DEFINITION: International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.".

CONTENTS

# COUNTRY AMOUNT DATE GRAPH HISTORY
1 European Union 371.04 million 2008
2 France 78.45 million 2008
3 United States 57.94 million 2008
4 Spain 57.32 million 2008
5 China 53.05 million 2008
6 Italy 42.73 million 2008
Group of 7 countries (G7) average (profile) 37.09 million 2008
7 United Kingdom 30.14 million 2008
8 Ukraine 25.45 million 2008
9 Turkey 24.99 million 2008
10 Germany 24.88 million 2008
11 Russia 23.68 million 2008
12 Mexico 22.64 million 2008
13 Malaysia 22.05 million 2008
14 Austria 21.93 million 2008
Non-religious countries average (profile) 21.08 million 2008
15 Canada 17.14 million 2008
Eurozone average (profile) 16.58 million 2008
16 Greece 15.94 million 2008
High income OECD countries average (profile) 15.77 million 2008
NATO countries average (profile) 14.76 million 2008
17 Saudi Arabia 14.76 million 2008
18 Thailand 14.54 million 2008
European Union average (profile) 14.26 million 2008
19 Poland 12.96 million 2008
20 Portugal 12.32 million 2007
Europe average (profile) 11.36 million 2008
Heavily indebted countries average (profile) 11.09 million 2007
Emerging markets average (profile) 10.79 million 2008
21 Netherlands 10.1 million 2008
22 South Africa 9.59 million 2008
Cold countries average (profile) 9.46 million 2007
23 Croatia 9.41 million 2008
24 Romania 8.86 million 2008
25 Hungary 8.81 million 2008
Catholic countries average (profile) 8.69 million 2007
26 Switzerland 8.61 million 2008
27 Japan 8.35 million 2008
28 Ireland 8.03 million 2008
29 Morocco 7.88 million 2008
30 Singapore 7.78 million 2008
31 Belgium 7.17 million 2008
32 United Arab Emirates 7.13 million 2005
33 Tunisia 7.05 million 2008
Tourist destinations average (profile) 6.66 million 2007
34 Czech Republic 6.65 million 2008
Eastern Europe average (profile) 6.56 million 2008
35 Indonesia 6.23 million 2008
36 Bulgaria 5.78 million 2008
Christian countries average (profile) 5.61 million 2006
37 Australia 5.59 million 2008
38 Syria 5.43 million 2008
39 India 5.37 million 2008
East Asia and Pacific average (profile) 5.29 million 2007
40 Brazil 5.05 million 2008
Former Soviet republics average (profile) 4.98 million 2008
41 Bahrain 4.93 million 2007
42 Argentina 4.67 million 2008
43 Denmark 4.5 million 2008
44 Norway 4.44 million 2008
45 Vietnam 4.25 million 2008
46 Dominican Republic 3.98 million 2008
47 Puerto Rico 3.89 million 2008
48 Jordan 3.73 million 2008
49 Finland 3.58 million 2008
50 Kazakhstan 3.45 million 2008
51 Sweden 3.43 million 2007
Former British colonies average (profile) 3.26 million 2007
52 Philippines 3.14 million 2008
Former Spanish colonies average (profile) 2.93 million 2008
Religious countries average (profile) 2.89 million 2001
53 Chile 2.7 million 2008
54 Albania 2.67 million 2008
55 Israel 2.57 million 2008
56 Zimbabwe 2.51 million 2007
57 Kyrgyzstan 2.44 million 2008
58 New Zealand 2.41 million 2008
59 Cyprus 2.4 million 2008
60 Cuba 2.32 million 2008
Middle Eastern and North Africa average (profile) 2.11 million 2001
61 Costa Rica 2.09 million 2008
OPEC countries average (profile) 2.07 million 2004
62 Peru 2.06 million 2008
Latin America and Caribbean average (profile) 2.02 million 2008
63 Cambodia 2 million 2008
64 Estonia 1.97 million 2008
65 Uruguay 1.94 million 2008
66 Algeria 1.77 million 2008
67 Slovenia 1.77 million 2008
=68 Jamaica 1.77 million 2008
=68 Slovakia 1.77 million 2008
70 Guatemala 1.72 million 2008
71 Latvia 1.68 million 2008
South Asia average (profile) 1.67 million 2008
72 Kenya 1.64 million 2006
73 Lithuania 1.61 million 2008
Muslim countries average (profile) 1.54 million 2000
74 Botswana 1.5 million 2008
75 The Bahamas 1.46 million 2008
76 Azerbaijan 1.41 million 2008
77 Qatar 1.41 million 2008
78 El Salvador 1.39 million 2008
79 Lebanon 1.33 million 2008
Former French colonies average (profile) 1.32 million 2006
South and Central Asia average (profile) 1.31 million 2007
80 Laos 1.29 million 2008
81 Panama 1.29 million 2008
82 Malta 1.29 million 2008
83 Georgia 1.29 million 2008
84 Oman 1.27 million 2008
85 Colombia 1.22 million 2008
86 Guam 1.14 million 2008
87 Nigeria 1.11 million 2006
88 Iceland 1.1 million 2008
89 Uzbekistan 1.07 million 2008
90 Ecuador 1 million 2008
91 Netherlands Antilles 982,000 2008
92 Rwanda 981,000 2008
93 Mauritius 930,000 2008
94 Namibia 929,000 2007
95 Honduras 899,000 2008
96 Luxembourg 879,000 2008
97 Senegal 875,000 2007
98 Nicaragua 858,000 2008
99 Uganda 844,000 2008
100 Aruba 827,000 2008
101 Pakistan 823,000 2008
102 Zambia 812,000 2008
103 Mozambique 771,000 2007
104 Swaziland 754,000 2008
105 Tanzania 750,000 2008
106 Venezuela 745,000 2008
107 Malawi 742,000 2008
108 Maldives 683,000 2008
109 Serbia and Montenegro 646,000 2008
Sub-Saharan Africa average (profile) 633,000 2006
110 Bolivia 594,000 2008
111 Ghana 587,000 2007
112 Fiji 585,000 2008
113 Barbados 568,000 2008
114 Armenia 558,000 2008
115 Virgin Islands 510,000 2007
116 Nepal 500,000 2008
117 Bangladesh 467,000 2008
118 Mongolia 446,000 2008
119 Sri Lanka 438,000 2008
120 Sudan 436,000 2007
121 Trinidad and Tobago 433,000 2008
122 Paraguay 428,000 2008
123 Northern Mariana Islands 388,000 2008
124 Madagascar 375,000 2008
125 Ethiopia 330,000 2008
126 Monaco 324,000 2008
127 Bosnia and Herzegovina 322,000 2008
128 Haiti 304,000 2008
129 Cayman Islands 303,000 2008
130 Cote d'Ivoire 301,000 1998
131 Saint Lucia 296,000 2008
132 Angola 294,000 2008
133 Kuwait 293,000 2007
=134 Lesotho 285,000 2008
=134 Cape Verde 285,000 2008
136 Antigua and Barbuda 266,000 2008
137 Turks and Caicos Islands 265,000 2007
138 Bermuda 264,000 2008
139 Belize 245,000 2008
=140 Brunei 226,000 2008
=140 Burkina Faso 226,000 2008
142 Gabon 222,000 2003
143 Burundi 201,000 2006
144 French Polynesia 196,000 2008
145 Burma 193,000 2008
146 Mali 190,000 2008
147 Benin 186,000 2007
148 Cameroon 185,000 2006
149 Suriname 163,000 2007
150 Seychelles 159,000 2008
151 Libya 149,000 2004
152 The Gambia 147,000 2008
153 Guyana 131,000 2007
154 Grenada 130,000 2007
155 Iraq 127,000 2001
156 Samoa 122,000 2008
157 Saint Kitts and Nevis 121,000 2008
158 Papua New Guinea 114,000 2008
159 New Caledonia 104,000 2008
=160 Belarus 91,000 2008
=160 Vanuatu 91,000 2008
162 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 84,000 2008
163 Palau 83,000 2008
=164 Eritrea 81,000 2007
=164 Dominica 81,000 2007
166 Togo 74,000 2008
167 San Marino 69,000 2007
168 Liechtenstein 58,000 2008
169 Niger 48,000 2007
170 Democratic Republic of the Congo 47,000 2007
=171 Tonga 46,000 2007
=171 Guinea 46,000 2006
173 Congo, Republic of the 43,000 2006
174 Djibouti 40,000 2007
175 Sierra Leone 36,000 2008
=176 Guinea-Bissau 30,000 2007
=176 Mauritania 30,000 2000
178 Bhutan 28,000 2008
=179 Chad 25,000 2007
=179 American Samoa 25,000 2006
181 Comoros 15,000 2007
=182 Solomon Islands 14,000 2007
=182 Central African Republic 14,000 2006
184 Sao Tome and Principe 12,000 2006
185 Turkmenistan 8,000 2007
186 Moldova 7,000 2008
187 Marshall Islands 6,000 2008
188 Tajikistan 4,000 2001
189 Kiribati 3,900 2008
190 Tuvalu 1,100 2007

Citation

Economy > Tourist arrivals: Countries Compared Map

NationMaster

Interesting observations about Economy > Tourist arrivals

  • France ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Christian countries in 2008.
  • Mexico ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Hot countries in 2008.
  • United States ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Cold countries in 2008.
  • China ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Emerging markets in 2008.
  • European Union has had the highest tourist arrivals since 1995.
  • Tuvalu has ranked last for tourist arrivals since 1995.
  • Spain ranked second for tourist arrivals amongst Europe in 2008.
  • Turkey ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Muslim countries in 2008.
  • Brazil ranked second for tourist arrivals amongst Latin America and Caribbean in 2008.
  • Austria ranked first for tourist arrivals amongst Landlocked countries in 2008.

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Tourism continues expanding year-to-year, according to <a href= http://www.world-tourism.org>World Tourist Organization</a> numbers. In 2002, international tourist arrivals topped 700 million for the first time, and increased by about 16 million from 2001.<p>Worldwide earnings from international tourism in 2002 were US$474 billion, or US$1.3 billion per day. That’s US$675 per tourist. <p>The United States earned US$67 billion followed by Spain, France and Italy, which earned from US$27 billion to US$34 billion. <p> Per-tourist spending is almost US$1,000 in the Americas, US$720 in Asia-Pacific, US$600 in Europe, and US$470 in the Middle East. <p>The top 10 spenders on tourism are the U.S., Germany, U.K., Japan, France, Italy, China, Netherlands, Hong Kong and the Russian Federation. <p>The World Tourist Organization estimates international tourist arrivals will reach 1.56 billion by 2020, and that the top three destination regions will be Europe (717 million), East Asia and the Pacific (397 million) and the Americas (282 million).

Posted on 07 Mar 2005

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

0

I dont find the name of Bangladesh in your list. But officially around 400000 tourists com,e to Bangladesh. Please try to get exact data from Bangladesh tourist organization and include in the table.
I am working on tourism development in Bangladesh. Anybody can contact with me if want to work on regional tourism development specially south asin countries.

Posted on 30 Dec 2010

Prof.+S.+Rashidul+Hasan

Prof.+S.+Rashidul+Hasan

0

Amazing!! you don't have information about Nepal ?
Please ........... in another update???

Posted on 18 Jul 2010

rudra

rudra

0

Where is Papua New Guinea? Why is it not on the list??

The obvious Pacific country I can see there is Fiji.

Hope to see PNG on the list as well.

Thank you.

Posted on 30 Jun 2010

Theo'...

Theo'...

0

Malaysia is stated in official studies over 23 million arrovals in 2009, when it is 6 million in this page ...

Posted on 29 Mar 2010

Marie, Bali

Marie, Bali

0

This hing is just misleading I went to the official tourism site. It is more updated and it has allcountries. This one is the worst I've ever seen

Posted on 13 Mar 2010

hio

hio

0

I'm looking for Tourism as a percentage of GDP. Anyone?

Posted on 04 Mar 2010

Mitch

Mitch

0

Tourist arrival to Cambodia in 2009 was 2,161,577. please kindly update.

Posted on 28 Jul 2010

Plong Thoeun

Plong Thoeun

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