What were the most visited countries in the world in 2023? The ranking drawn up by the Wtm Global Travel Report, drawn up by the World Travel Market, tells us this. Spoiler: Italy is not in first place.
After the difficult years of the pandemic, tourism continues to grow. 2023 was a year of further recovery: this is also confirmed by the Wtm Global Travel Report, drawn up by the World Travel Market in collaboration with Oxford Economics. This is a ranking with which the organization (which every year organizes travel-themed B2B events around the world) has indicated which were the most visited countries in the world in the year that is about to end. Let’s go and discover the list!
2023 marks the year of recovery of the tourism sector
There had already been an upward trend in 2022, but this was certainly the year of the definitive restart for the global tourism sector. People have started traveling again, even in Italy: the trend here is similar to that of the pre-pandemic period.
The ranking of the most visited countries in the world in 2023
There is a lot of Europe in the list drawn up by WTM, but also several world nations. We start from the eleventh place and then get to the podium.
10 – Germany
Germany opened the top 10 but saw a reduction from 28.5 million visitors in 2022 to 19.8 million in 2023. Among the most visited cities is the capital Berlin.
9 – Japan
Japan is in ninth place with a significant increase from 3.8 million in 2022 (due to the great constraints dictated by the pandemic) to 20.7 million in 2023. Unfortunately, in the country of the Land of the Rising Sun, traveling by train now costs much more compared to previous years.
8 – Italy
Italy is placed in eighth position: the country recorded 49.8 million visitors in 2022, which decreased to 25.9 million this year. But the trend is upwards.
7 – Thailand
In 2019, Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, overtook Paris and London for the title of “most visited city” in the world, with 22.78 million visitors. However, Thailand saw a sharp decline in 2022 with 11.2 million visitors (again the pandemic had a huge influence). This year the number has risen to 27.5 million and is worth seventh place.
6 – Greece
In sixth position is Greece, which, despite the devastating fires of 2022, has maintained its tourist appeal with 27.8 million visitors that year and 27.5 million in 2023.
5 – United Kingdom
Fifth place is occupied by the United Kingdom, which welcomed 31.2 million visitors in 2020 and is expected to reach 37.5 million by the end of 2023.
4 -USA
The United States, in fourth place, saw a decrease from 50.9 million visitors in 2022 to 41.8 million in 2023 but remains among the most popular destinations.
3 – Turkey
The podium opens with an unexpected country. Turkey ranks third with 45.5 million tourists. In 2022 there were 50.5 million. A large percentage is headed to Istanbul, one of the most evocative capitals in Europe.
2 – Spain
In second place is Spain, with more than 70 million visitors in 2023. The previous year there were 71.6 million. So, stationary data.
1 – France
The top of the ranking of the most visited countries in 2023 globally is occupied by France. According to the World Travel Market’s Global Travel Report 2023, France saw an influx of 72.4 million in the current year (in 2022 tourists had reached almost 80 million). Furthermore, GlobalData, a British company specializing in data analysis, projects that international arrivals in France will grow by 12.1% annually, reaching 93.7 million by 2025, strengthening its position as a world leader in tourism. And 2024 promises to be an even more exceptional year: Paris will host the Olympic Games from 26 July to 11 August.
