The number of tourists in the world reached about 1.3 billion tourists last year, according to the World Tourism Organization, and international tourism ended the year 2023 at a rate of 88% of pre-pandemic levels, and this momentum and strong recovery are expected to continue until a full recovery is achieved by the end of this year.
International tourism revenues will reach $1.4 trillion in 2023, about 93% of what tourist destinations achieved in 2019, which amounted to $1.5 trillion at that time.
Total export revenues from tourism (including passenger transport) are estimated at $1.6 trillion in 2023, nearly 95% of the $1.7 trillion generated in 2019.
Initial estimates of tourism’s contribution to the global economy indicate that it will reach $3.3 trillion in 2023, or 3% of global GDP, according to the World Tourism Organization in its report.
“The latest UNWTO data shows that international tourism has almost fully recovered from the COVID-19 crisis, with many destinations reaching or even exceeding pre-pandemic arrivals and revenues. This is crucial for destinations, businesses and communities for which the sector is a vital lifeline,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
Middle East leads recovery
The Middle East is leading the global recovery in tourism by region in terms of relative rate, and is the only region to achieve tourism growth at pre-pandemic levels, receiving 122% more tourists in 2023 compared to 2019.
Qatar tops tourist destinations
Qatar topped the list of best performing destinations worldwide for the first nine months of 2023, according to the World Tourism Organization, as the country ranked first with a “+91%” increase in the number of international tourists compared to 2019.
Since hosting the FIFA World Cup, tourism in Qatar has recorded an unprecedented boost for the tourism sector, according to the specialized platform “Trust You”.
Qatar Tourism revealed that Doha will receive more than 4 million visitors during 2023, while it plans to host and organize more than 80 events during the current year. These events vary to include sports, shopping, exhibitions, festivals, and others, according to the Qatar News Agency.
In a strategic move to facilitate travel, Qatar simplified visa procedures by implementing the Hayya platform earlier last year. The initiative streamlines the entry process for travelers to the country, which already allows citizens of 95 countries to obtain visas on arrival.
Visa facilitation measures, development of new tourist destinations, investments in new tourism-related projects, and hosting major events such as the World Cup are all helping to support the region’s impressive performance, the World Tourism Organization said in its report.
Europe, the world’s most visited region, reached 94% of 2019 levels, supported by demand within the continent and travel from the United States.
Africa has regained 96% of its pre-pandemic visitor numbers, while the Americas are at 90%, followed by Asia Pacific at 65% of pre-pandemic levels as many markets and destinations reopen.
Most touristic countries
Below is a list of the five most visited countries in 2023, which are visited by millions of tourists annually, according to data from the World Travel Report 2023 issued by the World Travel Market and other national tourism bodies:
Spain
Spain welcomed a record 85.1 million international tourists in 2023, up 19% on the previous year, according to the latest figures from the national statistics agency. The country’s income from foreign tourists reached 108.7 billion euros last year, up 25% on 2022, and tourism accounts for 12% of the country’s gross domestic product.
France
Some 72.4 million people visited France in 2023. Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire said international tourist receipts were expected to reach between €64 billion and €67 billion in 2023, up from €58 billion in 2022, according to BNN Bloomberg.
Türkiye
Turkey has seen a huge growth in the number of visitors, welcoming 49.21 million tourists in 2023, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism. The Minister of Culture and Tourism announced that tourism revenues rose by 17% year-on-year to $54.3 billion in 2023.
United State
Visitor numbers in 2023 were lower than in 2022 for the United States, according to World Travel Market data, falling from 50.9 million people to 41.8 million in 2023. However, it remains one of the most visited countries in the world, according to NZ Herald. According to Statista, the United States leads the rankings in international travel and tourism revenues at $190.39 billion.
United kingdom
The UK is also still a popular destination for tourists in the world, receiving around 37.5 million visitors last year. There is no exact figure for tourism revenues that year at the time of writing.
Arab countries continue to recover
The Arab region continues its tourism recovery after the Corona pandemic, as a number of its countries recorded very advanced positions in the global ranking of international arrivals in 2023.
Saudi Arabia exceeds the rates
Saudi Arabia ranked fifth in the global rankings for international arrivals in 2023, according to the Global Travel Trends report, returning to pre-Covid levels of inbound visitors, supported by pilgrims, investment in marketing the Kingdom as a tourist destination, and efforts to diversify its economy, according to The National.
The kingdom recorded a 156% increase in the number of incoming tourists last year compared to 2019 amid a recovery in the tourism sector after the pandemic, according to the official Saudi Press Agency, citing a report by the World Tourism Organization.
The Saudi Ministry of Tourism had previously announced that the total number of tourists reached 53.6 million tourists in the first half of 2023, the number of incoming tourists reached 14.6 million, while the number of local tourists reached 39 million.
Total tourism spending amounted to 150 billion Saudi riyals, inbound tourism recorded 86.9 billion riyals, while domestic tourism revenues amounted to 63.1 billion riyals during the same period.
UAE continues to flourish in tourism
The UAE ranked eighth in the global rankings for international arrivals in 2023, thanks to an influx of tourists from the United States and Russia, and strong air connectivity that particularly helped attract more Chinese travelers to the country.
Dubai recorded its highest annual tourist arrivals ever in 2023, attracting 17.15 million visitors throughout the year. The previous record was 16.73 million in 2019, according to Business Traveller.
The GCC and MENA regions together accounted for 28% of the total number of visitors to the UAE last year. Western Europe and South Asia accounted for 19% and 18% of arrivals respectively, North Asia and Southeast Asia accounted for 9% of arrivals, the Americas contributed 7%, Africa 4% and Australia 2%.
Egypt sets new record
Egypt ranked 10th among the top tourist destinations, receiving a record 14.9 million tourists last year, surpassing the previous record of 14.7 million in 2010. Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa attributed this to the collaborative efforts between the ministry, the private sector and strategic partners, according to the Visa Guide platform.
Morocco receives 14.5 million tourists
Morocco welcomed a record 14.5 million tourists in 2023 despite the devastating earthquake that rocked the country, and December last year alone saw the arrival of 1.3 million tourists, despite a difficult economic climate and turbulent geopolitical times, according to the Arabian Gulf Business Insight platform.
The Kingdom’s Ministry of Tourism said in a statement that the numbers “exceeded expectations.”
Total tourism revenues amounted to $9.8 billion from January to November 2023, an increase of 15.8% year-on-year, according to data from the Exchange Office, the Moroccan foreign exchange regulator.
