International
Tourism Highlights
2020 Edition
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International tourism trends, 2019
2
Key trends:
•	 2019 was another year of strong growth, though international
arrivals grew below the exceptional rates seen in 2017 (+7%)
and 2018 (+6%).
•	 Demand was somewhat weaker for travel to advanced
economy destinations in different regions.
•	 Uncertainty surrounding Brexit, geopolitical and trade
tensions, and the global economic slowdown, weighed on
growth.
•	 2019 was also the year of major shifts in the sector with the
collapse of travel group Thomas Cook and several low-cost
airlines in Europe.
•	 All regions enjoyed an increase in arrivals in 2019, led by the
Middle East (+8%). Asia and the Pacific and Europe both saw
4% growth.
•	 Against a backdrop of global economic slowdown, tourism
spending continued to grow, most notably among the world’s
top ten spenders.
•	 France reported the strongest increase in international
tourism expenditure among the world’s top ten outbound
markets (+11%), while the United States of America led
growth in absolute terms (+USD 8 billion).
+3%
+4% 1,460 million
Total international tourist arrivals
USD 1,481 billion
Total international tourism receipts
Between 2009 and 2019, real growth in international tourism
receipts (54%) exceeded growth in world GDP (44%)
International tourism receipts and world GDP (real change, %)		 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). 	 * Provisional data.
+5.0
■ Receipts (% change, real terms)
■ GDP (% change, real terms)
(%change)
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
2009
2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019*
+3.8
+5.0
+3.5
+2.5
+2.8
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2019 – 10th consecutive year of sustained growth
3
International tourist arrivals (million) and tourism receipts (USD billion) Data as of November 2020.
Source:	 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).				 * Provisional data.
‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ‘98 ‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 ‘17 ‘18 ‘19
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
■	 Arrivals (million)
■	 Receipts (USD billion)
1,481
1,460
Map of international tourist arrivals (million) and tourism receipts (USD billion)
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Data as of November 2020.	 * Provisional data.
219 million +2%
USD 342 billion +0%
744 million +4%
USD 576 billion +4%
362 million +4%
USD 443 billion +1%
65 million +8%
USD 81 billion +8%
70 million +2%
USD 38 billion +1%
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, despite
occasional shocks, underlining the sector’s strength and resilience
■	 Arrivals (% change)
■	 Receipts (% change, real terms)
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts (% change)	 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).			 * Provisional data.
2009
2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019*
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
+5
+7
+5
+6
+3
+4
EUROPEAMERICAS
AFRICA MIDDLE EAST
ASIA AND
THE PACIFIC
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Export revenues from tourism
Total exports from international tourism reached USD 1.7 trillion in 2019
44
Export earnings by product category, 2019 (USD billion)
Source: 	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Trade Organization (WTO).
Tourism is the world’s third largest export category after fuels and
chemicals, and ahead of automotive products and food (2019)
Export revenues from international tourism and merchandise exports (% change)
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Trade Organization (WTO). Data as of November 2020. * Provisional data.
Export revenues from international tourism have grown faster than
merchandise exports almost every year since 2010
Note: 	 Export revenues from international tourism are composed of “travel” (receipts in destinations) and “passenger transport” 	
receipts, both credit items in the Balance of Payments of countries.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Trade Organization (WTO).
USD 1.5 trillion
receipts in destinations
=
USD 1.7
trillion
exports from
international tourism
in 2019
+
USD 255 billion
passenger transport
7%
of global exports
28%
of world’s
services exports
Tourism generates USD 5 billion a day in exports
•	 Export earnings from international tourism (travel and passenger transport) are an
important source of foreign revenues for many destinations around the world, helping to
create jobs, promote entrepreneurship and develop local economies.
•	 Tourism is a key component of export diversification both for emerging and advanced
economies, with a strong capacity to reduce trade deficits and to compensate for
weaker export revenues from other goods and services.
•	 For many small developing countries, including most Small Island Developing States,
tourism is a major source of foreign-currency income, which can represent up to 90%
of total exports.
2009
2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019*
15
10
5
0
´-5
-10
-15
■	 Merchandise exports (% change)
■	 International tourism exports (% change, real terms)
+5
+5 +5
+3
+2
+3
Fuels 2,310
Chemicals 2,194
International tourism 1,742
	Automotive products 1,528
	Food 1,502
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Tourism can improve the balance of payments
Export revenues from tourism can reduce trade deficits
5
•	 As an important export category, international tourism can help improve the balance
of payments of countries by offsetting a trade deficit or adding to an existing
surplus from trade in other goods and services.
•	 Revenues from international tourism are an export (credit item in the balance of
payments), while outbound tourism spending is an import (debit item).
•	 As such, international tourism can generate a tourism trade surplus when receipts
exceed expenditure, or a deficit (vice versa) in the travel balance of countries.
•	 In 2019, the United States of America had the world’s largest travel surplus with
USD 62 billion, resulting from tourism receipts of USD 214 billion and expenditure
of USD 152 billion. Spain recorded the world’s second largest travel surplus with
USD 52 billion.
•	 Among emerging economies, Thailand and Macao (China) boast the largest travel
surpluses, while Mexico, Croatia, Malaysia, India, the Dominican Republic and
Morocco recorded a surplus of USD 6 billion to USD 15 billion.
DID YOU
KNOW ?
Macao (China) has the largest
tourism trade surplus per capita
in the world, followed by small island
developing states Aruba, Bahamas
and Maldives. Countries with the largest surplus in the travel balance 2019* (USD billion)
Notes: 	 Travel balance is the difference between international tourism receipts (inbound) and international tourism expenditure
(outbound).
	 1  Data for Macao (China) corresponds to 2018.	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: 	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
Destination USD billion
United States of America  62
Spain  52
Thailand  46
Macao (China)¹  39
Turkey  26
Japan  25
Italy   19
Greece  17
Portugal  15
Mexico  15
France  12
Austria  11
Croatia  10
Australia  10
Egypt  10
Malaysia  7
India  7
Dominican Republic  7
New Zealand  6
Morocco  6
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Economic impact
Tourism is a key economic sector in many advanced and emerging
economies
6
•	 Over the past decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion and
diversification to become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic
sectors in the world.
•	 Growth in tourism was driven by a relatively strong global economy, growing middle
classes and rapid urbanization in emerging economies, affordable travel and visa
facilitation, as well as technological advances and new business models.
•	 Tourism, consisting of both inbound and domestic tourism represents a major part
of gross domestic product for many economies around the world. This proportion
is largest in Macao (China) where tourism accounts for 48% of GDP.
•	 In Jordan, Spain, Croatia and Mauritius, tourism accounts for 10% or more of those
countries’ GDP. In France, the world’s top tourism destination, tourism represents
7% of GDP.
•	 Tourism also generates millions of direct and indirect jobs, with a high share of
women and young people.
•	 Most tourism enterprises (around 80%) are micro, small and medium sized
enterprises (MSMEs) which employ a high share of women and young people.
•	 Women make up 54% of the tourism workforce (as compared to 39% in the overall
economy).
DID YOU
KNOW ?
Domestic tourism is over six times
larger than international tourism
(in number of overnight trips).
Domestic tourism expenditure is
higher than inbound spending
in most large destinations.
Economic contribution of tourism (direct tourism GDP as a % of total GDP), 2018
Notes: 	 Destinations with available Tourism Gross Domestic Product data for 2018, 2017 or 2016, where Tourism GDP is 5% or more
of total GDP.
	 When Tourism GDP was not available, “tourism gross value added (TGVA)” or “tourism internal consumption” was used.
	 1  Data for Spain corresponds to both direct and indirect contribution.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	
Destination %
Macao (China)   48
Jordan   12
Spain¹   12
Croatia   11
Mauritius   10
Jamaica   9
Mexico   9
Iceland   9
Philippines   9
Uruguay   8
Portugal   8
France     7
Sweden   7
Thailand   7
Morocco   7
Greece   7
Hungary   7
Austria   7
Malaysia   7
Côte d'Ivoire   6
Honduras   6
New Zealand   6
Bermuda   6
Estonia   5
Slovenia   5
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Regional tourism results
The Middle East led growth in both arrivals and receipts in 2019
7
Europe accounts for half of the world’s international arrivals,
followed by Asia and the Pacific, with 1 in 4 arrivals
International tourism receipts by region, 2019* (% share)	
Note: 	 Percentages based on USD values. 	 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).			 * Provisional data.
International tourist arrivals by region, 2019* (% share)	 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).			 * Provisional data.
Europe represents almost 40% of international tourism receipts,
followed by Asia and the Pacific with almost one third
Asia and the Pacific 25%
Europe 51%
Middle East 4%
Africa 5%
Americas 15%
Europe 39%
Africa 3%
Middle East 5%
Americas 23%
Asia and the Pacific 30%
Receipts
International tourism receipts by regions, 2019* (% change, real terms)
Note: 	 Percentage change in receipts based on USD values. 	 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).			 * Provisional data.
The Middle East and Europe enjoyed above-average growth
in tourism earnings
International tourist arrivals by regions, 2019* (% change)	 Data as of November 2020.
Source:	World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).			 * Provisional data.
The Middle East recorded the highest growth in arrivals,
followed by Asia and the Pacific and Europe
Middle East Asia
and the Pacific
Europe World Africa Americas
+8%
+4% +4% +4%
+2% +2%
(%change)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Middle East Europe World Asia
and the Pacific
Africa Americas
+8%
+4%
+3%
+1% +1%
-0.1%
(%change)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Arrivals
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Top destinations
7 out of the 10 top destinations are featured in both rankings
8
The world’s top 10 destinations receive 40% of global arrivals
Top 10 destinations by international tourist arrivals, 2019*
1  Data for France corresponds to 2018.	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
The top 10 tourism earners account for almost 50% of total tourism
receipts
Top 10 destinations by international tourism receipts, 2019*	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
million Arrivals in top destinations % change
89  France1
  +3
84  Spain   +1
79  United States of America   -1
66  China   +4
65  Italy   +5
51  Turkey   +12
45  Mexico   +9
40  Thailand   +4
40  Germany   +2
39  United Kingdom   +2
DID YOU
KNOW ?
The number of destinations earning
USD 1 billion or more from
international tourism has almost
doubled since 1998
USD billion Top tourism earners % change (real terms)
214 
  United States of America   -0
80  Spain   +3
64  France   +2
61  Thailand   +3
53  United Kingdom   +10
50  Italy   +6
46  Japan   +8
46  Australia   +9
42  Germany   +2
40  Macao (China)   -3
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Leisure,
recreation,
holidays 55%
VFR, health,
religion, other 28%
Business and
professional 11%
Not specified 6%
Means and purpose of travel
Travelling for leisure and by air dominates international tourism
99
Inbound tourism by mode of transport, 2019* (% share)		 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
•	 Leisure travel is the main purpose of visit in all world regions except the
Middle East, where visiting friends and relatives (VFR), or for health or religious
purposes predominates.
•	 The share of leisure travel has grown from 50% in 2000 to 55% in 2019.
•	 The share of air travel has increased from 46% in 2000 to 59% in 2019, while
land transport has decreased from 49% to 35% in the same period.
Air 59%
Road 35%
Train 1%
Water 5%
Inbound tourism by purpose of visit, 2019* (% share)	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
Purpose
of visit
Mode of
transport
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Europe
Southern Mediterranean destinations continued to lead growth
•	 In 2019 intraregional demand fuelled much tourism in Europe, though performance among major European
source markets was uneven, amid weakening economies. Demand from overseas source markets held up well.
•	 The collapse of British travel group Thomas Cook and several European low-cost airlines, as well as the slower
outbound market from the United Kingdom in view of the Brexit impasse affected key European destinations.
•	 Southern Mediterranean Europe led growth and continued to show remarkable performance, yet somewhat
less bullish than in previous years. Virtually all destinations reporting data saw positive results in arrivals and
most of them recorded strong growth in terms of earnings. Balkan destinations showed upbeat results and the
more mature destinations in the Mediterranean reported positive results with particularly robust growth in Italy,
Portugal, Greece and Malta.
•	 Results across destinations in Central and Eastern Europe were mixed as outbound travel from Russia
slowed down to some destinations.
•	 In Western Europe, the Netherlands posted robust results, building on the tourist dispersal actions undertaken
to promote tourism beyond Amsterdam.
•	 Northern Europe saw modest performance overall with mixed results across destinations. Bookings out of the
United Kingdom were slower to euro area destinations in particular, while the lower value of the pound favored
travel to more affordable destinations outside the euro area.
Northern
Europe
+2%
tourist arrivals
+6%
tourism receipts
Southern / Mediterranean
Europe
+5%
tourist arrivals
+7%
tourism receipts
Western
Europe
+2%
tourist arrivals
+2%
tourism receipts
Central Eastern
Europe
+4%
tourist arrivals
+2%
tourism receipts
International tourist arrivals 2019
International tourism receipts 2019
744
million +4%
51%
share
USD 576
billion
+4%
39%
share
10
Note:  Change over 2018. Receipts in real terms.
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11
South-East Asia
+8%
tourist arrivals
+4%
tourism receipts
Oceania
+2%
tourist arrivals
+6%
tourism receipts
25%
share
30%
share
North-East Asia
+1%
tourist arrivals
-3%
tourism receipts
South Asia
+7%
tourist arrivals
+5%
tourism receipts
Asia and the Pacific
South Asia and South-East Asia showed robust results
•	 Chinese outbound travel continued to fuel growth in many destinations inside and outside the region,
though Chinese spending on travel abroad was somewhat lower.
•	 South Asia achieved the fastest growth among Asian subregions with the Maldives recorded doubledigit
growth capitalizing on the increase in visitors from the Chinese and European markets. Nepal and
Bhutan continued to show strong results, while India, the subregion’s largest destination, posted strong
growth in receipts.
•	 South-East Asia recorded robust growth in 2019, with many destinations achieving double-digit
rates. Myanmar led growth benefiting from a surge in Chinese visitors thanks to visa facilitation and
enhanced air connectivity. Brunei, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Philippines, TimorLeste
and Viet Nam enjoyed robust results.
•	 Growth in Oceania was rather slow, with modest performance by larger destinations Australia and
New Zealand, partly due to the softening of Chinese visitors. By contrast, smaller island destinations
Guam, French Polynesia and Samoa recorded solid growth.
•	 Results in North-East Asia were led by the Republic of Korea, thanks to increased visitors from China
and South-East Asian markets. Arrivals in China, the regions’ largest destination, went up while the
2019 Rugby World Cup boosted international arrivals in Japan in September. By contrast, the Special
Administrative Region of Hong Kong suffered a decline in arrivals from mainland China amid protests
taking place during the second half of 2019.
International tourist arrivals 2019
International tourism receipts 2019
362
million +4%
USD 443
billion
+1%
Note:  Change over 2018. Receipts in real terms.
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12
North America
+3%
tourist arrivals
-1%
tourism receipts
South America
-4%
tourist arrivals
0%
tourism receipts
Central America
+1%
tourist arrivals
+3%
tourism receipts
Caribbean
+3%
tourist arrivals
+5%
tourism receipts
15%
share
23%
share
The Americas
Uneven performance across destinations
•	 In the Caribbean, many smaller island destinations saw double-digit growth in 2019. Among the
larger destinations, Bahamas and Jamaica enjoyed continued solid growth while tourism to Cuba
and the Dominican Republic was weaker.
•	 In North America, Mexico and Canada showed robust results, while the United States of America,
the largest destination in the Americas, saw weaker results.
•	 Central America showed uneven results across destinations. Costa Rica, the subregion’s most
visited destination, posted solid results. El Salvador, Nicaragua and Belize show above-average
growth.
•	 International arrivals to South America went down with mixed performance throughout the year.
Several destinations recorded a strong decline in tourist arrivals from Argentina. Outbound travel
from Argentina slowed sharply impacting neighboring destinations such as Paraguay, Chile and
Uruguay. By contrast, arrivals went up in Argentina benefiting from a favourable exchange rate.
•	 Political turmoil and social protests emerging in the subregion between September and October
took a toll on inbound tourism in several countries.
•	 Spending from major source market Brazil saw also a decline, though much less pronounced.
Brazil announced visa exemptions in June to tourists from some markets.
International tourist arrivals 2019
International tourism receipts 2019
219
million +2%
USD 342
billion
+0%
Note:  Change over 2018. Receipts in real terms.
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Africa
Solid results in North Africa
13
North Africa
+6%
tourist arrivals
+10%
tourism receipts
Subsaharan
Africa
+0%
tourist arrivals
-3%
tourism receipts
•	 Growth was led by North Africa, as Tunisia continued to grow at double-digit and tourism
receipts followed the same trend fuelled by a strong increase from the French market.
Morocco, the most visited African destination, grew at a robust rate.
•	 In Subsaharan Africa, island destinations Madagascar and Comoros recorded doubledigit
growth in arrivals following strong results last year, while Cabo Verde and the
Seychelles continued to capitalize on increased air connectivity.
•	 South Africa, the subregion’s most visited destination, announced visa facilitation
measures and destination marketing efforts to spur tourist arrivals.
International tourist arrivals 2019
International tourism receipts 2019
70
million +2%
5%
share
USD 38
billion +1%
3%
share
Note:  Change over 2018. Receipts in real terms.
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The Middle East
Fastest-growing region in both arrivals and receipts
14
•	 Tourism is a major pillar in some destinations, while some oil-based economies are
opening up for strong tourism development.
•	 Saudi Arabia rebounded with a particularly busy summer season. The Kingdom put in
place a new e-visa or visa upon arrival scheme to ease the entry to around 50 countries
as well as a new marketing and events international campaign.
•	 Egypt’s tourism has enjoyed a remarkable rebound in the past two years, with a particular
surge in arrivals from Germany.
•	 Arrivals in Qatar, the most open visa country in the Middle East, grew at double-digit
building on visa facilitation measures to attract long-haul markets. The preparations of the
2022 FIFA World Cup also contributed to the influx of foreign tourists in the country.
•	 The emirate of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) saw an increase in arrivals fuelled by an
increase of visitors from India, the emirate’s top market.
•	 Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Palestine also saw robust results in 2019.
Middle East
+8%
tourist arrivals
+8%
tourism receipts
International tourist arrivals 2019
International tourism receipts 2019
65
million +8%
4%
share
USD 81
billion +8%
5%
share
Note:  Change over 2018. Receipts in real terms.
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Outbound tourism
France showed the highest growth in spending among the top 10
world spenders
15
Europe accounts for almost 1 in 2 trips in the world
International arrivals by generating region, 2019* (% share)	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
	
China remains the world’s largest spender, with one fifth of
international tourism spending, followed by the United States of America
Top 10 countries by international tourism spending, 2019*	 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).	 * Provisional data.
Europe 48%
Not specified 3%Africa 3%
Americas 17%
Middle East 3%
Asia and
the Pacific 26%
Outbound
tourism by region
of origin
USD billion Top tourism spenders % change (real terms)
255  China -4
152  United States of America   +5
93  Germany   +3
72  United Kingdom   +6
52  France   +11
36  Russian Federation  +5
36  Australia  +5
35  Canada  +5
32  Rep. of Korea -8
30  Italy   +6
4 out of 5 tourists travel
within their own region
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16
Statistical annex
Outbound tourism by generating region
Including estimates for countries with missing data
International tourist arrivals
(million) Share
(%)
Change
(%)
Av. annual
growth
(%)
2000 2005 2011 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2019* 18/17 19*/18 ‘10-’19*
World 673 810 1,003 1,203 1,245 1,333 1,408 1,460 100 5.7 3.7 4.8
From
Europe 396.4 450.7 512.0 581.8 592.8 636.6 676.0 702.7 48.1 6.2 4.0 4.1
Asia and the Pacific 113.8 152.9 220.7 293.6 314.4 337.6 367.7 381.7 26.1 8.9 3.8 7.1
Americas 130.6 136.5 163.3 200.2 211.6 227.3 239.3 244.7 16.8 5.2 2.3 5.2
Middle East 12.8 21.5 31.9 39.7 36.3 36.8 40.4 43.8 3.0 9.6 8.5 3.0
Africa 14.9 19.4 30.1 36.0 39.6 42.5 45.3 47.0 3.2 6.5 3.8 5.8
Origin not specified¹ 4.1 28.9 45.0 51.9 50.4 51.7 40.0 40.2 2.8
Same region 539.0 630.8 760.6 906.1 941.0 1.003.3 1.070.0 1.103.9 75.6 6.6 3.2 4.8
Other regions 129.5 150.2 197.4 245.1 253.8 277.6 298.6 315.9 21.6 7.6 5.8 5.8
¹  Countries that could not be allocated to a specific region of origin. As information is derived from inbound tourism data this occurs when data on the country of origin is missing or when a category such as ‘other countries of the world’ is used grouping
countries together that are not separately specified.														 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 			 * Provisional data.
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17
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts
International tourism by (sub)region
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
(million) Share
(%)
Change
(%)
Av. annual
growth
(%)
(USD billion) (EUR billion) Share
(%)
Change
(%)
(real terms)²
2010 2018 2019* 2019* 18/17 19*/18 '10-'19* 2010 2018 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019* 18/17 19*/18
World 956 1,408 1,460 100 5.7 3.7 4.8 980 1,460 1,481 739 1,237 1,323 100 5.0 2.5
Advanced economies¹ 515 762 776 53.2 4.1 1.9 4.7 644 948 946 485 803 845 63.8 4.1 1.6
Emerging economies¹ 441 647 684 46.8 7.6 5.7 5.0 336 512 536 253 434 478 36.2 6.5 4.3
Europe 491.2 716.3 744.0 51.0 5.9 3.9 4.7 427.5 572.4 576.4 322.4 484.7 514.9 38.9 4.9 4.5
Northern Europe 57.6 81.0 82.4 5.6 0.0 1.7 4.1 61.8 93.0 94.6 47 79 85 6.4 0.9 6.0
Western Europe 154.4 200.2 204.9 14.0 3.9 2.4 3.2 152.5 181.8 178.6 115 154 160 12.1 3.5 1.9
Central/Eastern Europe 102.2 146.5 152.8 10.5 8.6 4.3 4.6 48.3 69.0 68.7 36 58 61 4.6 8.4 1.6
Southern/Medit. Europe 177.1 288.6 303.9 20.8 7.7 5.3 6.2 164.9 228.6 234.4 124 194 209 15.8 6.7 6.9
- of which EU-27 357.6 524.2 539.4 36.9 4.6 2.9 4.7 324.3 431.7 428.8 245 365 383 28.9 3.9 3.7
Asia and the Pacific 208.2 347.5 361.6 24.8 7.2 4.1 6.3 254.3 436.5 443.2 191.8 369.6 395.9 29.9 8.8 1.1
North-East Asia 111.5 169.2 170.6 11.7 6.1 0.8 4.8 122.9 193.3 187.6 93 164 168 12.7 11.5 -3.4
South-East Asia 70.5 128.6 138.5 9.5 6.7 7.7 7.8 68.5 138.4 147.6 52 117 132 10.0 5.6 4.2
Oceania 11.5 17.0 17.5 1.2 2.8 2.4 4.8 42.8 61.1 61.8 32 52 55 4.2 6.9 5.9
South Asia 14.7 32.7 35.1 2.4 18.9 7.4 10.1 20.1 43.7 46.2 15 37 41 3.1 10.5 4.8
Americas 150.3 215.9 219.3 15.0 2.4 1.5 4.3 215.2 338.2 341.8 162.3 286.4 305.3 23.1 0.4 -0.1
North America 99.5 142.2 146.4 10.0 3.5 3.0 4.4 164.8 263.6 265.7 124 223 237 17.9 0.1 -0.9
Caribbean 19.5 25.8 26.5 1.8 0.1 2.6 3.4 23.3 32.7 34.6 18 28 31 2.3 0.7 5.1
Central America 7.8 10.8 10.9 0.7 -2.2 0.8 3.8 6.6 12.3 12.6 5 10 11 0.9 1.3 2.8
South America 23.5 37.1 35.5 2.4 1.3 -4.4 4.7 20.5 29.7 29.0 15 25 26 2.0 2.6 0.3
Africa 50.4 68.6 70.0 4.8 8.3 2.0 3.7 30.4 38.9 38.4 23.0 32.9 34.3 2.6 2.6 0.8
North Africa 19.7 24.1 25.6 1.8 11.1 6.4 3.0 9.7 10.7 11.5 7 9 10 0.8 4.7 9.6
Subsaharan Africa 30.7 44.5 44.3 3.0 6.8 -0.4 4.2 20.8 28.1 26.9 16 24 24 1.8 1.8 -2.6
Middle East 56.1 60.1 65.1 4.5 4.3 8.3 1.7 52.2 74.5 81.5 39.3 63.1 72.8 5.5 6.0 8.5
¹  Classification based on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), see the Statistical Annex of the IMF World Economic Outlook of April 2017, page 175, at www.imf.org/external/ns/cs.aspx?id=29.
²  In local currencies, constant prices.				 Data as of November 2020.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 		 * Provisional data.
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284422456-Sunday,August22,202110:59:56PM-IPAddress:193.84.211.218
18
Europe
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts by country of destination
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
Series
(1000) Change (%) Share (%) (USD million) Share (%)
2010 2018 2019* 18/17 19*/18 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019*
Europe 491,234 716,333 744,049 5.9 3.9 100 427,459 572,385 576,382 100
Northern Europe 57,608 81,035 82,385 0.0 1.7 11.1 61,809 93,008 94,611 16.9
Denmark TF 8,744 12,749 13,285 2.6 4.2 1.8 5,853 9,101 8,848 1.6
Finland TCE 2,319 3,224 3,290 1.4 2.0 0.4 3,051 3,666 3,726 0.6
Iceland TF 489 2,344 2,013 5.4 -14.1 0.3 561 3,114 2,677 0.5
Ireland TF 7,134 10,926 10,951 5.7 0.2 1.5 4,118 6,803 6,425 1.1
Norway TF 4,767 5,688 5,879 -9.0 3.4 0.8 4,707 5,375 4,968 0.9
Sweden TCE 5,183 7,440 .. 5.5 .. .. 8,344 14,899 15,247 2.6
United Kingdom TF 28,911 38,664 39,418 -2.2 1.9 5.3 35,176 50,050 52,721 9.1
Western Europe 154,362 200,164 204,908 3.9 2.4 27.5 152,456 181,765 178,623 31.0
Austria TCE 22,004 30,816 31,884 4.6 3.5 4.3 18,596 23,099 22,942 4.0
Belgium TCE 7,186 9,119 9,343 9.1 2.5 1.3 11,425 8,891 8,870 1.5
France TF 77,648 89,400 .. 2.9 .. .. 57,059 66,031 63,801 11.1
Germany TCE 26,875 38,881 39,563 3.8 1.8 5.3 34,679 42,977 41,638 7.2
Liechtenstein TCE 64 87 98 10.3 12.3 0.0 .. .. .. ..
Luxembourg TCE 793 1,018 1,041 -2.7 2.3 0.1 4,149 4,995 4,936 0.9
Monaco THS 279 347 363 -2.3 4.6 0.0 .. .. .. ..
Netherlands TCE 10,883 18,781 20,128 4.8 7.2 2.7 11,732 17,782 18,487 3.2
Switzerland TF 8,628 11,715 11,818 5.2 0.9 1.6 14,816 17,989 17,949 3.1
Central/Eastern Europe 102,202 146,525 152,825 8.6 4.3 20.5 48,272 69,024 68,701 11.9
Armenia TF 687 1,652 1,894 10.5 14.7 0.3 646 1,329 1,528 0.3
Azerbaijan TF 1,280 2,605 2,876 6.2 10.4 0.4 657 2,634 1,792 0.3
Belarus TCE 677 2,142 2,201 7.1 2.8 0.3 440 883 901 0.2
Bulgaria TF 6,047 9,273 9,312 4.4 0.4 1.3 3,407 4,495 4,287 0.7
Czech Republic TF 8,629 14,283 .. 4.5 .. .. 7,172 7,442 7,303 1.3
Estonia TF 2,511 3,226 3,345 -0.6 3.7 0.4 1,092 1,783 1,745 0.3
Georgia TF 1,067 4,757 5,080 16.9 6.8 0.7 659 3,222 3,269 0.6
Hungary TF 9,510 17,152 16,937 8.7 -1.3 2.3 5,733 6,924 7,305 1.3
Kazakhstan TF 2,991 .. .. .. .. .. 1,005 2,255 2,463 0.4
Kyrgyzstan VF 855 6,947 .. 52.1 .. .. 160 460 644 0.1
Latvia TF 1,373 1,946 1,935 -0.2 -0.6 0.3 642 1,059 1,017 0.2
Lithuania TF 1,507 2,825 2,875 11.9 1.8 0.4 967 1,505 1,493 0.3
Poland TF .. 19,623 21,155 6.6 7.8 2.8 9,414 13,863 13,705 2.4
Rep. Moldova TCE 64 160 174 10.4 8.6 0.0 163 381 396 0.1
Romania TCE 1,346 2,797 2,684 1.3 -4.0 0.4 1,140 3,400 3,576 0.6
Russian Federation VF 22,281 24,551 24,419 0.7 -0.5 3.3 8,830 11,591 10,961 1.9
Slovakia TF 5,415 .. .. .. .. .. 2,233 3,200 3,203 0.6
Tajikistan VF 160 1,250 .. 190.1 .. .. 2 9 14 0.0
Turkmenistan TF .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Ukraine TF 21,203 14,207 13,438 -1.5 -5.4 1.8 3,788 1,445 1,620 0.3
Uzbekistan VF 975 5,346 6,749 98.7 26.2 0.9 121 1,144 1,481 0.3
Southern/Mediterranean Europe 177,062 288,610 303,932 7.7 5.3 40.8 164,921 228,588 234,447 40.7
Albania TF 2,191 5,142 5,919 10.7 15.1 0.8 1,626 2,193 2,332 0.4
Andorra TF 1,808 3,042 3,090 1.3 1.6 0.4 .. .. .. ..
Bosnia and Herzg. TCE 365 1,053 1,198 14.0 13.8 0.2 594 1,101 1,176 0.2
Croatia TCE 8,967 16,645 17,353 6.7 4.3 2.3 7,231 11,127 11,753 2.0
Cyprus TF 2,173 3,939 3,977 7.8 1.0 0.5 2,137 3,472 3,254 0.6
North Macedonia TCE 262 707 758 12.2 7.1 0.1 197 382 396 0.1
Greece TF 15,007 30,123 31,348 10.8 4.1 4.2 12,742 18,998 20,351 3.5
Israel TF 2,803 4,121 4,552 14.1 10.5 0.6 4,903 7,225 7,600 1.3
Italy TF 43,626 61,567 64,513 5.7 4.8 8.7 38,786 49,262 49,596 8.6
Malta TF 1,339 2,599 2,753 14.3 5.9 0.4 1,079 1,859 1,901 0.3
Montenegro TCE 1,088 2,077 2,510 10.6 20.8 0.3 732 1,182 1,230 0.2
Portugal TCE/TF 6,832 22,800 24,600 7.5 7.9 3.3 10,077 20,140 20,633 3.6
San Marino THS 60 84 111 7.3 32.3 0.0 .. .. .. ..
Serbia TCE 683 1,711 1,847 14.2 8.0 0.2 764 1,547 1,606 0.3
Slovenia TCE 2,049 4,425 4,702 10.9 6.3 0.6 2,639 3,193 3,081 0.5
Spain TF 52,677 82,808 83,509 1.1 0.8 11.2 58,829 81,689 79,708 13.8
Turkey TF 31,364 45,768 51,192 21.7 11.9 6.9 22,585 25,220 29,829 5.2
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 					 Data as of November 2020.
Please see page 23 for symbols and abbreviations.	 * Provisional data.
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284422456-Sunday,August22,202110:59:56PM-IPAddress:193.84.211.218
19
Asia and the Pacific
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts by country of destination
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
Series
(1000) Change (%) Share (%) (USD million) Share (%)
2010 2018 2019* 18/17 19*/18 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019*
Asia and the Pacific 208.174 347,520 361,648 7.2 4.1 100 254,301 436,544 443,209 100
North-East Asia 111.508 169,190 170,611 6.1 0.8 47.2 122,899 193,339 187,553 42.3
China TF 55.665 62,900 65,700 3.6 4.5 18.2 45,814 40,386 35,832 8.1
Hong Kong (China) TF 20.085 29,263 23,752 4.9 -18.8 6.6 22,200 36,866 29,043 6.6
Japan VF 8.611 31,192 32,182 8.7 3.2 8.9 13,199 42,096 46,054 10.4
Korea (Dem. People’s Republic of) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Korea (Republic of) VF 8.798 15,347 17,503 15.1 14.0 4.8 10,263 18,567 21,628 4.9
Macao (China) TF 11.926 18,493 18,633 7.2 0.8 5.2 22,276 40,707 39,526 8.9
Mongolia TF 456 529 577 12.8 9.1 0.2 244 445 513 0.1
Taiwan Province of China VF 5.567 11,067 11,864 3.0 7.2 3.3 8,721 13,704 14,411 3.3
South-East Asia 70,473 128,620 138,504 6.7 7.7 38.3 68,547 138,388 147,617 33.3
Brunei TF 214 278 323 7.4 16.0 0.1 .. 190 217 0.0
Cambodia TF 2,508 6,201 6,611 10.7 6.6 1.8 1,519 4,352 4,769 1.1
Indonesia VF/TF 7,003 13,396 15,455 3.5 15.4 4.3 6,958 16,426 16,912 3.8
Lao People’s Democratic Rep. TF 1,670 3,770 4,384 15.7 16.3 1.2 382 734 .. ..
Malaysia TF 24,577 25,832 26,101 -0.4 1.0 7.2 18,115 19,622 19,823 4.5
Myanmar TF 792 3,551 4,364 3.1 22.9 1.2 72 1,652 2,483 0.6
Philippines TF 3,520 7,168 8,261 8.3 15.2 2.3 2,645 8,240 9,806 2.2
Singapore TF 9,161 14,673 15,119 5.5 3.0 4.2 14,178 20,418 20,052 4.5
Thailand TF 15,936 38,178 39,797 7.3 4.2 11.0 20,104 56,366 60,521 13.7
Timor-Leste TF 40 75 81 1.1 8.2 0.0 31 78 70 0.0
Viet Nam VF 5,050 15,498 18,009 19.9 16.2 5.0 4,450 10,080 11,830 2.7
Oceania 11,468 17,048 17,453 2.8 2.4 4.8 42,792 61,134 61,817 13.9
American Samoa TF 23 20 .. 1.2 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Australia VF 5,872 9,246 9,466 4.9 2.4 2.6 32,584 45,035 45,709 10.3
Cook Islands TF 104 169 172 4.6 1.7 0.0 111 233 .. ..
Fiji TF 632 870 894 3.3 2.8 0.2 634 972 963 0.2
French Polynesia TF 154 216 237 8.7 9.4 0.1 406 642 .. ..
Guam TF 1,197 1,549 1,667 0.3 7.6 0.5 .. .. .. ..
Kiribati TF 5 7 .. 22.4 .. .. 4 3 .. ..
Marshall Islands TF 5 7 .. 13.3 .. .. 4 9 .. ..
Micronesia FSM TF 45 19 .. .. .. .. 24 .. .. ..
N. Mariana Islands VF 379 518 487 -21.5 -5.9 0.1 .. .. .. ..
New Caledonia TF 99 120 130 -0.3 8.4 0.0 129 .. .. ..
New Zealand TF 2,435 3,686 3,702 3.7 0.4 1.0 6,522 10,875 10,689 2.4
Niue TF 6 .. .. .. .. .. 2 .. .. ..
Palau TF 85 106 94 -13.3 -11.6 0.0 73 .. .. ..
Papua New Guinea TF 140 140 160 0.7 14.3 0.0 2 3 .. ..
Samoa TF 122 164 172 12.4 4.8 0.0 132 191 199 0.0
Solomon Islands TF 21 28 29 8.4 3.7 0.0 44 81 70 0.0
Tonga TF 47 54 .. -13.1 .. .. 16 48 57 0.0
Tuvalu TF 2 3 .. 9.5 .. .. 2 .. .. ..
Vanuatu TF 97 116 121 5.9 4.3 0.0 217 295 .. ..
South Asia 14,726 32,661 35,080 18.9 7.4 9.7 20,063 43,684 46,222 10.4
Afghanistan .. .. .. .. .. .. 75 28 72 0.0
Bangladesh TF 303 .. .. .. .. .. 81 353 388 0.1
Bhutan TF 41 274 316 7.6 15.1 0.1 40 103 120 0.0
India TF 5,776 17,427 17,910 12.1 2.8 5.0 14,490 28,568 29,962 6.8
Iran VF 2,938 7,295 9,107 49.9 24.8 2.5 2,438 .. .. ..
Maldives TF 792 1,484 1,703 6.8 14.7 0.5 1,713 3,028 3,157 0.7
Nepal TF 603 1,173 1,197 24.8 2.1 0.3 344 641 701 0.2
Pakistan TF 907 .. .. .. .. .. 306 391 494 0.1
Sri Lanka TF 654 2,334 1,914 10.3 -18.0 0.5 576 4,381 3,607 0.8
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 					 Data as of November 2020.
Please see page 23 for symbols and abbreviations.	 * Provisional data.
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284422456-Sunday,August22,202110:59:56PM-IPAddress:193.84.211.218
20
Americas
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts by country of destination
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
Series
(1000) Change (%) Share (%) (USD million) Share (%)
2010 2018 2019* 18/17 19*/18 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019*
Americas 150,335 215,939 219,283 2.4 1.5 100 215,188 338,188 341,824 100
North America 99,520 142,192 146,426 3.5 3.0 66.8 164,832 263,580 265,678 77,7
Canada TF 16,219 21,134 22,145 1.2 4.8 10.1 15,830 26,373 26,971 7,9
Mexico TF 23,290 41,313 45,024 5.1 9.0 20.5 11,992 22,526 24,573 7,2
United States of America TF 60,010 79,746 79,256 3.3 -0.6 36.1 137,010 214,680 214,134 62,6
Caribbean 19,521 25,800 26,466 0.1 2.6 12.1 23,274 32,657 34,561 10,1
Anguilla TF 62 55 95 -20.1 74.9 0.0 99 108 .. ..
Antigua and Barbuda TF 230 269 302 8.7 12.4 0.1 298 641 733 0,2
Aruba TF 825 1,082 1,118 1.1 3.4 0.5 1,251 2,025 2,091 0,6
Bahamas TF 1,370 1,624 1,804 11.9 11.1 0.8 2,163 3,355 3,580 1,0
Barbados TF 532 680 .. 2.5 .. .. 1,038 1,140 1,269 0,4
Bermuda TF 232 282 269 4.6 -4.4 0.1 442 585 590 0,2
British Virgin Islands TF 330 192 302 -42.5 57.3 0.1 389 .. .. ..
Cayman Islands TF 288 463 503 10.7 8.6 0.2 485 880 .. ..
Cuba TF 2,507 4,684 .. 2.0 .. .. 2,187 2,903 .. ..
Curaçao TF 342 432 464 8.2 7.4 0.2 385 593 703 0,2
Dominica TF 77 63 .. -11.9 .. .. 94 82 105 0,0
Dominican Republic TF 4,125 6,569 6,446 6.2 -1.9 2.9 4,162 7,561 7,468 2,2
Grenada TF 110 161 188 10.0 16.8 0.1 105 199 170 0,0
Guadeloupe TCE 392 735 .. 13.1 .. .. 510 860 .. ..
Haiti TF 255 447 286 -4.3 -36.0 0.1 383 620 .. ..
Jamaica TF 1,922 2,473 2,681 5.1 8.4 1.2 2,001 3,099 .. ..
Martinique TF 476 537 556 0.3 3.5 0.3 472 533 549 0,2
Montserrat TF 6 10 10 7.3 1.7 0.0 6 10 10 0,0
Puerto Rico TF 3,186 3,068 3,180 -12.7 3.6 1.5 3,211 3,282 .. ..
Saint Lucia TF 306 396 424 2.5 7.1 0.2 565 901 999 0,3
St. Kitts and Nevis TF 98 123 131 7.0 6.7 0.1 90 196 202 0,1
St. Maarten TF 443 178 320 -55.8 80.0 0.1 674 453 682 0,2
St. Vincent and the Grenadines TF 72 80 85 5.4 6.5 0.0 86 104 118 0,0
Trinidad and Tobago TF 388 375 389 -4.9 3.5 0.2 450 429 439 0,1
Turks and Caicos TF 281 441 487 5.9 10.4 0.2 .. 787 .. ..
US Virgin Islands TF 572 381 .. -28.8 .. .. 1,223 1,046 .. ..
Central America 7,808 10,845 10,932 -2.2 0.8 5.0 6,622 12,257 12,629 3,7
Belize TF 242 489 503 14.6 2.8 0.2 249 487 510 0,1
Costa Rica TF 2,100 3,017 3,139 1.9 4.1 1.4 2,246 3,773 4,010 1,2
El Salvador TF 1,150 1,677 1,766 7.8 5.3 0.8 390 1,014 1,306 0,4
Guatemala TF 1,119 1,781 1,752 7.3 -1.6 0.8 1,053 1,231 1,221 0,4
Honduras TF 863 847 724 -0.4 -14.5 0.3 625 592 547 0,2
Nicaragua TF 1,011 1,256 1,295 -29.7 3.2 0.6 314 544 515 0,2
Panama TF 1,324 1,779 1,753 -3.5 -1.5 0.8 1,745 4,617 4,521 1,3
South America 23,485 37,102 35,459 1.3 -4.4 16.2 20,460 29,695 28,955 8,5
Argentina TF 5,325 6,942 7,399 3.4 6.6 3.4 4,942 5,563 5,241 1,5
Bolivia TF 679 1,142 1,239 3.0 8.5 0.6 379 815 797 0,2
Brazil TF 5,161 6,621 6,353 0.5 -4.1 2.9 5,261 5,921 5,995 1,8
Chile TF 2,801 5,723 4,518 -11.3 -21.1 2.1 1,552 2,871 2,377 0,7
Colombia TF 2,385 4,020 4,154 10.7 3.4 1.9 2,797 5,556 5,652 1,7
Ecuador VF 1,047 2,535 2,108 40.4 -16.9 1.0 781 2,272 2,282 0,7
French Guiana TF .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Guyana TF 152 287 315 15.9 9.8 0.1 80 28 .. ..
Paraguay TF 465 1,181 1,216 -24.3 2.9 0.6 217 363 379 0,1
Peru TF 2,299 4,419 4,372 9.6 -1.1 2.0 2,008 3,557 3,819 1,1
Suriname TF 205 .. .. .. .. .. 61 56 53 0,0
Uruguay TF 2,349 3,469 3,056 -5.6 -11.9 1.4 1,509 2,350 2,011 0,6
Venezuela TF 526 .. .. .. .. .. 831 .. .. ..
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 					 Data as of November 2020.
Please see page 23 for symbols and abbreviations.	 * Provisional data.
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284422456-Sunday,August22,202110:59:56PM-IPAddress:193.84.211.218
21
Africa
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts by country of destination
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
Series
(1000) Change (%) Share (%) (USD million) Share (%)
2010 2018 2019* 18/17 19*/18 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019*
Africa 50,426 68,585 69,954 8.3 2.0 100 30,445 38,869 38,426 100
North Africa 19,682 24,081 25,622 11.1 6.4 36.6 9,662 10,735 11,511 30.0
Algeria VF 2,070 2,657 2,371 8.4 -10.8 3.4 220 169 165 0.4
Morocco TF 9,288 12,289 12,932 8.3 5.2 18.5 6,703 7,782 8,179 21.3
Sudan TF 495 836 .. 2.8 .. .. 94 1,043 821 2.1
Tunisia TF 7,828 8,299 9,429 17.7 13.6 13.5 2,645 1,741 .. ..
Subsaharan Africa 30,743 44,505 44,332 6.8 -0.4 63.4 20,782 28,134 26,915 70.0
Angola TF 425 218 218 -16.5 0.0 0.3 719 544 384 1.0
Benin TF 199 295 .. 5.0 .. .. 149 162 .. ..
Botswana TF 1,973 1,655 .. 2.0 .. .. 510 574 .. ..
Burkina Faso THS 274 144 143 0.7 -0.7 0.2 72 121 .. ..
Burundi TF 142 .. .. .. .. .. 2 4 .. ..
Cameroon TF 569 .. .. .. .. .. 159 581 .. ..
Cabo Verde THS 336 710 758 6.3 6.8 1.1 278 484 502 1.3
Central African Republic TF 54 .. .. .. .. .. 11 .. .. ..
Chad THS 71 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Comoros TF 15 36 45 28.2 25.6 0.1 35 76 .. ..
Congo THS 194 156 .. 4.7 .. .. 27 .. .. ..
Côte d'Ivoire VF 252 1,965 2,070 9.2 5.3 3.0 201 443 .. ..
Dem. Rep. of the Congo TF 81 .. .. .. .. .. 11 60,5 99,7 0.3
Djibouti TF 51 .. .. .. .. .. 18 57 .. ..
Equatorial Guinea .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Eritrea VF 84 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Eswatini TF 868 782 680 -15.1 -13.0 1.0 51 16 14 0.0
Ethiopia TF 468 849 812 -9.0 -4.4 1.2 522 969 778 2.0
Gabon TF .. .. .. .. .. .. 86 .. .. ..
Gambia TF 91 552 .. 5.7 .. .. 74 154 .. ..
Ghana TF 931 1,029 1,088 4.8 5.7 1.6 620 944 .. ..
Guinea TF 12 .. .. .. .. .. 2 3 9 0.0
Guinea-Bissau TF 22 55 52 11.1 -4.7 0.1 13 20 .. ..
Kenya TF 1,470 1,931 .. 15.4 .. .. 800 1,072 .. ..
Lesotho TF 414 .. .. .. .. .. 23 24 22 0.1
Liberia .. .. .. .. .. .. 12 .. .. ..
Madagascar TF 196 291 376 13.8 29.2 0.5 309 697 193 0.5
Malawi TF 746 871 .. 4.1 .. .. 31 38 42 0.1
Mali TF 169 203 217 5.2 6.9 0.3 205 227 .. ..
Mauritania TF .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 11 0.0
Mauritius TF 935 1,399 1,383 4.3 -1.1 2.0 1,282 1,887 1,779 4.6
Mozambique TF 1,718 2,743 2,019 89.6 -26.4 2.9 108 242 252 0.7
Namibia TF 984 1,621 1,596 4.1 -1.6 2.3 437 383 350 0.9
Niger TF 74 157 192 -4.3 22.3 0.3 105 98 .. ..
Nigeria TF 1,555 .. .. .. .. .. 576 1,962 1,449 3.8
Reunion TF 421 535 534 5.3 -0.2 0.8 389 511 459 1.2
Rwanda TF 504 .. .. .. .. .. 202 375 .. ..
São Tomé and Príncipe TF 8 33 .. 15.6 .. .. 11 72 44 0.1
Senegal TF 900 .. .. .. .. .. 453 496 .. ..
Seychelles TF 175 362 384 3.4 6.2 0.5 343 559 590 1.5
Sierra Leone TF 39 57 .. 11.8 .. .. 26 39 .. ..
Somalia .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
South Africa TF 8,074 10,472 10,229 1.8 -2.3 14.6 9,070 8,944 8,384 21.8
Tanzania TF 754 1,378 1,443 8.1 4.7 2.1 1,255 2,449 2,605 6.8
Togo THS 202 573 876 11.5 52.9 1.3 66 153 .. ..
Uganda TF 946 1,850 .. 31.9 .. .. 784 1,506 1,463 3.8
Zambia TF 815 1,072 .. -1.0 .. .. 492 742 819 2.1
Zimbabwe VF 2,239 2,567 2,290 5.9 -10.8 3.3 124 .. .. ..
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 					 Data as of November 2020.
Please see page 23 for symbols and abbreviations.	 * Provisional data.
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2222
Middle East
International tourist arrivals and tourism receipts by country of destination
International tourist arrivals International tourism receipts
Series
(1000) Change (%) Share (%) (USD million) Share (%)
2010 2018 2019* 18/17 19*/18 2019* 2010 2018 2019* 2019*
Middle East 56,122 60,116 65,114 4.3 8.3 100 52,153 74,512 81,471 100
Bahrain THS/TCE 995 4,366 3,849 -0.2 -11.8 5.9 1,362 3,689 3,681 4.5
Egypt VF 14,731 11,346 13,026 36.8 14.8 20.0 12,528 11,615 13,030 16.0
Iraq VF 1,518 .. .. .. .. .. 1,660 1,986 3,593 4.4
Jordan TF 4,207 4,150 4,488 8.0 8.1 6.9 3,585 5,248 5,786 7.1
Kuwait THS 207 .. .. .. .. .. 290 456 700 0.9
Lebanon TF 2,168 1,964 1,936 5.8 -1.4 3.0 7,995 8,400 8,593 10.5
Libya TF .. .. .. .. .. .. 60 .. .. ..
Oman TF 1,441 2,301 2,500 -0.6 8.6 3.8 783 1,758 1,811 2.2
Palestine THS 522 606 688 20.5 13.5 1.1 667 245 .. 0.3
Qatar TF 1,700 1,819 2,137 -19.4 17.4 3.3 584 5,565 5,442 6.7
Saudi Arabia TF 10,850 15,334 17,526 -4.8 14.3 26.9 6,712 13,790 16,382 20.1
Syria TF 8,546 .. .. .. .. .. 6,190 .. .. ..
United Arab Emirates THS1
7,432 15,920 16,730 0.8 5.1 25.7 8,577 21,375 21,800 26.8
Yemen TF 1,025 .. .. .. .. .. 1,161 .. .. ..
¹  Dubai only.
Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).						 		 Data as of November 2020.
Please see page 23 for symbols and abbreviations.	 * Provisional data.
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Methodological notes
23
Series of international tourist arrivals:
TF	 =	 International tourist arrivals at frontiers (overnight visitors, i.e. excluding same-day visitors)
VF	 =	 International visitors arrivals at frontiers (tourists and same-day visitors)
THS	 =	 International tourists arrivals at hotel and similar establishments
TCE 	= 	 International tourists arrivals at collective tourism establishments
TD 	 =	 Departures of tourists (overnight visitors, i.e. excluding same-day visitors)
VD 	 =	 Departures of both overnight and same-day visitors
Information in this report reflects data available at the time of publication, as reported by
national or international institutions up until November 2020.
It should be noted that data as reflected by UNWTO on international tourism receipts
and expenditure for China is based on the balance of payments (BOP) travel credit and
debit (as with other countries for reasons of consistency and international comparability)
reported by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) at www.safe.gov.cn/en/
BalanceofPayments/. It is to be noted that there is a difference in the data used by UNWTO
and those produced by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (formerly the China National
Tourism Administration) for 2014 and subsequent years.
For the latest tourism data and trends, please refer to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer
at www.e-unwto.org/loi/wtobarometereng. For tourism statistics online and for data on
previous years, see the UNWTO e-library at www.e-unwto.org.
For main concepts, definitions and classifications for the measurement of tourism, please
see: International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 (IRTS 2008) at statistics.
https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789211615210.
*	 = 	 Provisional figure or data
..	 = 	 Figure or data not (yet) available
I	 = 	 Change of series
n/a	 =	 Not applicable
.	 = 	 Decimal separator
,	 = 	 Thousands separator
This report was prepared by the UNWTO Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness
Department, under the supervision of Sandra Carvão, Chief of the Department.
Authors include (in alphabetical order): Fernando Alonso, Michel Julian and Javier Ruescas.
The designations and presentation material employed in this report do not imply the
expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or
of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United
Nations specialized agency, is the leading international
organization with the decisive and central role in promoting
the development of responsible, sustainable and universally
accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism
policy issues and a practical source of tourism knowhow.
Its membership includes 159 countries, 6 territories,
2 permanent observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.
Copyright © 2021, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Copyright cover photo: © Tomas1111  |  Dreamstime.com
ISBN printed version: 978-92-844-2244-9
ISBN electronic version: 978-92-844-2245-6
DOI: 10.18111/9789284422456
Published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Madrid, Spain.
First printing: 2021  |  All rights reserved.  |  Printed in Spain.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do
not imply the expression of any opinions whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat
of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) concerning the legal status of any
country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of
its frontiers or boundaries.
Citation:
World Tourism Organization (2021), International Tourism Highlights, 2020 Edition,
UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284422456.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)   www.unwto.org
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