Human Written & Fact Checked · Last reviewed
Tourism statistics for the world’s leading destinations — France, Spain, the US, Italy, Japan, the UK, Germany, Thailand and London: visitor numbers, spending, source markets and seasonality, compiled from official figures and reviewed monthly.
| Destination | International visitors | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| France | 102mInternational arrivals · Frontier basis, 2025 | €77.5bnInternational tourism receipts · 2025 · record |
| Spain | 96.8mInternational tourists · 2025 | €134.7bnInternational tourist spend · 2025 · record |
| US | 68.3mInternational arrivals · Total incl. Canada & Mexico, 2025 · −5.5% | $250bnInternational visitor spending · 2025 · −0.6% |
| Italy | 61.4mInternational tourists · Overnight visitors, 2025 · +6.3% | €56.7bnInternational visitor spending · 2025 · +4.6% |
| Japan | 42.7mInternational visitors · 2025 · +15.8% | ¥9.45tnInternational visitor spending · 2025 · record · +16.4% |
| UK | 40.8mInternational visits · 2025 · provisional | £29.8bnInbound visitor spend · 2025 · provisional |
| Germany | 37.2mInternational guest arrivals · Accommodation with 10+ beds, 2025 · −0.8% | €37.8bnInternational travel receipts · Balance of payments, 2025 · −0.6% |
| Thailand | 33.0mInternational tourist arrivals · 2025 · −7.2% (provisional) | ฿1.59tnInternational tourism receipts · 2025 · −1.6% |
| London | 19.3mInternational visitors · Inbound, 2025 | £15.8bnInbound visitor spend · 2025 |
Destinations
France recorded a record 102 million international arrivals in 2025, keeping its place as the world’s most-visited country, and earned a record €77.5 billion in international tourism receipts. Arrivals are counted at the border and include some visitors in transit; tourists spent 261.2 million nights in commercial accommodation in 2025.
Spain welcomed a record 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, who spent a record €134.7 billion — and arrivals in January–August 2026 were running 5.4% higher. The United Kingdom is the largest market, with 19.1 million tourists, and Spain is the world’s second most-visited country after France.
The United States recorded 68.3 million international arrivals in 2025, down 5.5% on 2024 and about 86% of the 2019 level, as Canadian visits fell by 21%. Mexico (18.0 million) overtook Canada (16.0 million) as the largest source market. International visitors spent about $250 billion, and 34.3 million arrivals came from overseas markets beyond Canada and Mexico.
Italy received 61.4 million international overnight visitors in 2025, up 6.3% on 2024, who spent a record €56.7 billion — and visitor numbers in January–July 2026 were running 7.8% higher. Germany is the largest market, with 9.4 million overnight visitors and €8.8 billion of spending, and tourism accounted for 9.6% of GDP in 2023 including indirect effects.
Japan received a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, up 15.8% on 2024, and they spent a record ¥9.45 trillion. South Korea was the largest market with 9.46 million visitors, while visitors from China spent the most. In January–September 2026 arrivals were 2.9% lower than a year earlier (preliminary), as Chinese arrivals fell by 55.5%.
Overseas residents made an estimated 40.8 million visits to the UK in 2025 and spent £29.8 billion, according to provisional official figures — the first full year under a new survey method, so not directly comparable with 2024. Within Britain, residents took 103 million overnight trips and 1.06 billion tourism day visits in 2025. The United States is the biggest source market, with 5.5 million visits and £7.5 billion of spending in 2025.
International guests made 37.2 million arrivals at German accommodation in 2025 and spent 83.6 million nights there — down 0.8% and 2.0% on 2024, when the European Football Championship drew extra visitors — and international travel receipts were €37.8 billion. Arrivals in January–August 2026 were 2.0% higher than a year earlier. The Netherlands is the largest market, with 11.7 million overnight stays in 2025.
Thailand recorded 33.0 million international tourist arrivals in 2025 (provisional), 7.2% fewer than in 2024, and international visitors spent ฿1.59 trillion, down 1.6%. Malaysia (4.52 million) narrowly overtook China (4.47 million) as the largest source market, and arrivals in January–September 2026 were running 3.8% behind 2025, at 23.2 million.
London received about 19.3 million international visitors in 2025, who spent £15.8 billion — 52% of all inbound visits to Great Britain. British residents added 15.8 million overnight trips and 182 million day visits. The United States is the largest source market, and the Natural History Museum was the most-visited attraction, with 7.1 million visits.
Brighton & Hove drew 12.2 million visitor trips in 2024 — 10.5 million day trips and 1.67 million overnight stays — and tourism was worth £1.39 billion to the city, up 9% on 2023. It supports 25,677 jobs, about 18% of all employment, and Brighton Palace Pier is the biggest draw, with close to 4 million visitors a year.
The Lake District National Park drew 17.45 million visitors in 2025, generating about £2.4 billion in total economic impact, of which £1.78 billion was direct visitor spending. Across the wider county of Cumbria, tourism was worth £4.6 billion in 2024 and supported 74,823 jobs — about 28% of the workforce.
All figures come from official statistics and are reviewed monthly. Measurement methods differ between countries (e.g. border arrivals including transit versus traveller surveys or hotel registrations), so compare with care; the methodology and sources are on each page.