Spain recorded about 105 million international tourist arrivals in 2024 — the most of any country in the WTTC Economic Impact Research 2025 set — ahead of France (98 million) and Italy (66.7 million). The United States was fourth at 65 million, just behind Italy and ahead of Türkiye (56.3 million). But arrivals are a volume metric, and volume is not the same as value — a point the spending column makes obvious.
International arrivals, ranked (2024)
| # | Country | International arrivals | Inbound spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 105 million | $116.4 bn |
| 2 | France | 98 million | $78.7 bn |
| 3 | Italy | 66.7 million | $60.0 bn |
| 4 | United States | 65 million | $181.2 bn |
| 5 | Türkiye | 56.3 million | $75.0 bn |
| 6 | UAE | 45 million | $59.2 bn |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 40 million | $51.7 bn |
| 8 | Germany | 37.5 million | $49.1 bn |
| 9 | Greece | 36 million | $25.5 bn |
| 10 | Japan | 36 million | $52.9 bn |
| 11 | Thailand | 35 million | $47.9 bn |
| 12 | Saudi Arabia | 30 million | $41.8 bn |
| 13 | Mexico | 30 million | $35.6 bn |
| 14 | Austria | 28 million | $28.6 bn |
| 15 | Netherlands | 26 million | $23.1 bn |
| 16 | China | 26 million | $139.6 bn |
| 17 | Malaysia | 26 million | $23.3 bn |
| 18 | Portugal | 22 million | $34.6 bn |
| 19 | South Korea | 20 million | $24.2 bn |
| 20 | Canada | 19.4 million | $21.1 bn |
The volume-versus-value catch
Look at rows 2 and 4. France pulled in 98 million arrivals but $78.7 billion in inbound spend. The United States pulled in fewer visitors — 65 million — but $181.2 billion, more than double France's inbound revenue. China is the sharpest example: just 26 million arrivals, yet $139.6 billion in spending, second only to the U.S.
The reason is spend per visitor. France and Spain run high-volume models with a large share of short-stay and neighbouring-country trips; the U.S., China and the Gulf states run high-value models with long-haul, high-spend visitors. If you are ranking "the biggest tourism economies," arrivals will mislead you — revenue and GDP contribution won't. We break the per-visitor economics down in spend per visitor by destination.
Arrivals vs. GDP contribution
Arrivals also diverge from tourism's GDP weight. Spain is #1 in arrivals and tourism is 15.6% of its GDP — a genuinely tourism-led economy. But the U.S. is #4 in arrivals while tourism is only 8.8% of its (enormous) GDP. High arrivals do not automatically mean high dependence, and vice versa. The full picture is in tourism as a percentage of GDP by country.
How this is measured
Arrivals count inbound international visitors as compiled in WTTC EIR 2025, cross-referenced with UN Tourism (UNWTO) barometer data; inbound spending is visitor expenditure within the destination, in constant 2024 USD. Definitions matter: some national tourism boards count border crossings or same-day visitors differently, so a national figure may not match a cross-country compilation exactly. For per-country detail and the multi-year series, open the tourism statistics hub.
FAQ
Which country had the most international tourist arrivals in 2024? Spain, with about 105 million international arrivals, ahead of France (98 million) and Italy (66.7 million).
Does the most-visited country earn the most from tourism? No. Spain leads on arrivals, but the United States earned the most inbound spending ($181.2 billion from 65 million visitors) — more than double France's total despite far fewer arrivals.
Where does the U.S. rank for arrivals? Fourth in the WTTC set, with 65 million international arrivals in 2024, behind Spain, France and Italy.
Explore any market's arrivals, spending and GDP series — all WTTC-anchored — on the tourism statistics hub, or see how a verified report is built.
