1. World tourism statistics and rankings
[edit] Most visited countries by international tourist arrivals
Main article: World Tourism rankings
The World Tourism Organization reports the following ten countries as the most visited in
between 2006 and 2008 by number of international travelers. When compared to 2006,
Ukraine entered the top ten list, surpassing Russia, Austria and Mexico,[3] and in 2008
surpassed Germany.[9] In 2008 the U.S. displaced Spain from the second place. Most of the
top visited countries continue to be on the European continent.
International International International
UNWTO
tourist tourist tourist
Rank Country Regional
arrivals arrivals arrivals
Market
(2008)[9] (2007)[3][9] (2006)[10]
1 France Europe 79.3 million 81.9 million 78.9 million
2 United States North America 58.0 million 56.0 million 51.0 million
3 Spain Europe 57.3 million 58.7 million 58.2 million
4 China Asia 53.0 million 54.7 million 49.9 million
5 Italy Europe 42.7 million 43.7 million 41.1 million
6 United Kingdom Europe 30.2 million 30.9 million 30.7 million
7 Ukraine Europe 25.4 million 23.1 million 18.9 million
8 Turkey Europe 25.0 million 22.2 million 18.9 million
9 Germany Europe 24.9 million 24.4 million 23.5 million
10 Mexico North America 22.6 million 21.4 million 21.4 million
[edit] International tourism receipts
In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as
compared to 2007. International tourism receipts grew to US$944 billion (euro 642 billion)

2. in 2008, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 1.8% on 2007.[2] When the export
value of international passenger transport receipts is accounted for, total receipts in 2008
reached a record of US$1.1 trillion, or over US$3 billion a day.[2]
The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten tourism
earners for the year 2008. It is noticeable that most of them are on the European continent,
but the United States continues to be the top earner.
International International International
UNWTO
Tourism Tourism Tourism
Rank Country Regional
Receipts Receipts Receipts
Market [9] [3][9]
(2008) (2007) (2006)[10]
1 United States North America $110.1 billion $96.7 billion $85.7 billion
2 Spain Europe $61.6 billion $57.6 billion $51.1 billion
3 France Europe $55.6 billion $54.3 billion $46.3 billion
4 Italy Europe $45.7 billion $42.7 billion $38.1 billion
5 China Asia $40.8 billion $37.2 billion $33.9 billion
6 Germany Europe $40.0 billion $36.0 billion $32.8 billion
7 United Kingdom Europe $36.0 billion $38.6 billion $33.7 billion
8 Australia Oceania $24.7 billion $22.3 billion $17.8 billion
9 Turkey Europe $22.0 billion $18.5 billion $16.9 billion
10 Austria Europe $21.8 billion $18.9 billion $16.6 billion
[edit] International tourism expenditures
The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten biggest
spenders on international tourism for the year 2008. For the fifth year in a row, German
tourists continue as the top spenders.[9][11]
Rank Country UNWTO International International International
Regional Tourism Tourism Tourism

3. Expenditures Expenditures Expenditures
Market
(2008)[9] (2007)[9] (2006)[11]
1 Germany Europe $91.0 billion $83.1 billion $73.9 billion
2 United States North America $79.7 billion $76.4 billion $72.1 billion
3 United Kingdom Europe $68.5 billion $71.4 billion $63.1 billion
4 France Europe $43.1 billion $36.7 billion $31.2 billion
5 China Asia $36.2 billion $29.8 billion $24.3 billion
6 Italy Europe $30.8 billion $27.3 billion $23.1 billion
7 Japan Asia $27.9 billion $26.5 billion $26.9 billion
8 Canada North America $26.9 billion $24.7 billion $20.5 billion
9 Russia Europe $24.9 billion $22.3 billion $18.2 billion
10 Netherlands Europe $21.7 billion $19.1 billion $17.0 billion
[edit] Most visited cities
Top 10 most visited cities by estimated number of international visitors by selected
year
International
City Country visitors Year/Notes
(millions)
2007 (Excluding extra-muros
Paris France 15.6
visitors)[12]
London United Kingdom 14.8 2008[13]

4. Bangkok Thailand 10.84 2007 (External study estimation)[14]
Singapore Singapore 10.1 2008[15]
New York
United States 9.5 2008[16]
City
2008 (excluding Mainland China)
Hong Kong China 7.94 [17]
Istanbul Turkey 7.05 2008[18]
United Arab
Dubai 6.9 2007[19]
Emirates
Shanghai China 6.66 2007[20]
Rome Italy 6.12 2007 (External study estimation)[14]