The number of international tourist arrivals to the selected European destinations increased in 2024 over the previous year, in most cases surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, Paris and the Île-de-France region recorded the highest figure among the selected destinations, with **** million inbound tourist arrivals. London and Istanbul followed in the ranking that year, with roughly ** million and **** million arrivals, respectively. What are the most visited countries by international tourists? Both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, France was the country with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals worldwide. Meanwhile, the United States consistently ranks as the country with the highest international tourism receipts worldwide. How many tourists travel every year? In 2024, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide exceeded *** billion, catching up with pre-pandemic levels. Breaking down the number of inbound tourist arrivals worldwide by region shows that Europe is the global leading destination for inbound tourism, with over *** million international tourist arrivals in 2024.

In 2024, London was the leading European city tourism destination based on the number of bed nights. That year, bed nights in the United Kingdom's capital reached almost ** million, nearly catching up with pre-pandemic levels. Paris and Istanbul followed in the ranking in 2024, with roughly ** million and **** million bed nights. What are the most visited countries in Europe? While the French capital came in second among leading European cities based on bed nights, France consistently tops the ranking of the European countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals, ahead of Spain, Italy, and Turkey. Meanwhile, when looking at European countries with the highest tourism receipts, Spain recorded the highest figure both before and after the impact of COVID-19. How many international tourists visit Europe every year? In 2024, the number of international tourist arrivals in Europe totaled over *** million. This figure, which also exceeded pre-pandemic levels, made Europe the region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide that year.

Istanbul was the leading destination in Turkey based on the volume of international tourist arrivals in 2023 and 2024. Overall, inbound travelers in that city totaled over 18.5 million in 2024, more than in the previous year. Antalya was the second-leading tourist destination, with around 15.9 million inbound arrivals. Istanbul does not lose its popularity Istanbul has been an attractive destination with plenty of sights, including mosques, churches, museums, palaces, and the Bosphorus Strait, which connects two large continents, Europe and Asia. This city, which has hosted different civilizations and cultures for centuries, has welcomed millions of foreign and local visitors for years. The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the largest city in Turkey has increased since 2020, when it dropped due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In line with the high inflation in the country, accommodation prices in Istanbul have generally been increasing. As of October 2023, the average cost for an overnight stay in the city was 117 euros. Domestic tourism is falling back Although international tourism in Turkey has been recovering from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its limitations, domestic tourism has fallen behind. Factors such as high inflation, price increases, and the soaring cost of living in the country have also affected local tourism. In 2023, the number of domestic trips was about 22 percent less compared to the peak figures in 2018. In relation to this, the number of overnight stays of domestic travelers has been generally following a negative trend in the last few years. Local tourists recorded roughly 473 million nights at accommodations in 2023, still below the pre-pandemic levels.

In 2024, London played a prominent role in supporting international tourism in the United Kingdom. That year, the UK's capital accounted for roughly ** percent of all inbound tourist arrivals in the country. Meanwhile, Paris and the Île-de-France region represented around ** percent of all international arrivals to France, whereas travelers to Barcelona made up almost ** percent of inbound tourist arrivals in Spain in 2024. What are the most visited European cities? When looking at the number of inbound tourist arrivals to leading travel destinations in Europe, Paris and Île-de-France, the region surrounding the French capital, recorded the highest figure in 2024, with nearly ** million arrivals. London and Istanbul, also among the leading city tourism destinations in Europe based on the number of bed nights, followed in the ranking that year, with around ** million and over ** million inbound tourist arrivals, respectively. What are the most visited European countries? Both before and after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, France, Spain, and Italy were the most visited European countries by international travelers. Meanwhile, Spain consistently ranks as the European country with the highest number of inbound tourism receipts.

Florence, the famous Italian city, was the best-rated European city by readers of a U.S. travel magazine in 2025, scoring 90.08 out of 100 points. Seville in Spain, ranked second with 89.49 points.

This statistic shows the number of international overnight visitors in the most popular European city destinations in 2016. London had the largest number of international overnight visitors in 2016 with 19.06 million.

In 2016, London had the second most international overnight visitors. In that same year, London ranked as the third leading city in terms of international visitor spending in the world. In 2016, some 858 thousand international overnight visitors to London came from New York, United States.

The number of international tourist arrivals in Europe rose significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year across all the most visited destinations in the region. Overall, France was the most visited country by inbound travelers in Europe in 2023. That year, France - which also topped the ranking of the countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide - reported *** million international tourist arrivals, the highest figure recorded by the destination to date. Spain, Italy, and Turkey followed on the list in 2023. Europe is the most popular region for inbound tourism Europe is the region with the highest number of inbound tourism arrivals worldwide, with over *** million arrivals in 2023. Comparatively, there were nearly *** million international tourist arrivals in Asia and the Pacific, the second-most visited global region by inbound travelers that year. When breaking down the number of inbound arrivals in Europe by sub-region, Southern and Mediterranean countries reported the highest figures, both before and after the impact of COVID-19. Travel & Tourism Development Index France and Spain, among the most popular travel destinations in Europe in terms of inbound arrivals, were also among the leading countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI). The TTDI index measures factors and policies that support a sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism worldwide. In 2023, Spain ranked first with a TTDI score of ****, followed by France and Germany.

In 2015, Dubai was the city with the highest number of tourists staying at least one night per capita. That same year, international overnight visitor spending in Dubai reached 28.5 billion US dollars. The city, which is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, was also one of the most expensive holiday destinations in the world in 2018. In 2016, 14.87 million people visited Dubai from abroad.

Europe and Asia: top destinations

According to the source, most of the 20 tourist cities with the highest number of visitor arrivals per capita were Asian or European cities. After Dubai, Amsterdam and Prague were the second and third cities with the greatest number of tourists spending at least one night per capita. With respectively, 2.7 and 2.5 visitors per capita, the two European cities were followed by another one: London. Singapore, ranked fifth with 2.1 visitors per capita, was the first Asian city in the list. Thus, New-York the first North American city of this ranking was 17th. It appears that Europe remains one of the most popular tourist destinations. Asia was also a very attractive destinations for international visitors with Hong-Kong being the leading city destination in 2017.

Focus on tourism in Europe

Since the nineties, the number of international tourist arrivals in Europe keeps increasing. France is the European country with the largest number of international visitors’ arrivals, while Spain and Italy are also two of the leading tourist destinations on the continent. Travel and tourism have an important contribution to GDP in Europe, reaching 781.6 billion US dollar and 2018 and expected to attain 991.4 billion in 2028.

Poles were the most likely to buy airline tickets to European cities on the FRU platform in the summer of 2024. Among them, European capitals were mainly popular.

In 2023, London was the leading European city tourism destination based on the number of bed nights. That year, bed nights in the United Kingdom's capital exceeded 78 million, denoting a sharp annual increase but not fully recovering yet from the impact of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Paris and Istanbul followed in the ranking in 2023, with roughly 52 million and nearly 30 million bed nights. What are the most visited countries in Europe? While the French capital came in second among leading European cities based on bed nights, France topped the ranking of the European countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals in 2023, ahead of Spain, Italy, and Turkey. Meanwhile, when looking at European countries with the highest tourism receipts that year, Spain recorded the highest figure, with over 90 billion U.S. dollars, followed by the United Kingdom. How many international tourists visit Europe every year? In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals in Europe grew significantly over the previous year, totaling over 700 million. This figure, however, remained below pre-pandemic levels. Overall, either before and after the impact of COVID-19, Europe was the region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide.

Madrid was the most visited city destination in Spain in 2023, having welcomed nearly ** million overnight visitors. The Catalonian capital followed second in the ranking that year, with roughly *** million tourists spending at least one night in the destination. How did Madrid rank in tourist visits and accommodation? In 2022, Madrid attracted over 4.5 million domestic and 4.6 million international tourists for stays exceeding one day, despite experiencing a more than 10 percent decrease compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the Spanish capital has consistently ranked among the top ten European cities with the highest number of nights spent by tourists in paid accommodation, securing the 8th position that year. Which regions attracted the most international tourists? Spain's international tourism rebounded strongly from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, surpassing 100 million visitors in 2022. Catalonia led as the most visited region, attracting over **** million international tourists. The United Kingdom played a pivotal role as the primary source of international tourists, contributing over ** million travelers, followed by France with around ** million visitors.

In 2024, Dubrovnik in Croatia recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals per inhabitant among the selected European cities. The destination had almost ** tourist arrivals per inhabitant in 2024. That year, Lloret de Mar in Spain and Venice in Italy followed on the list, with around ** and ** tourist arrivals per inhabitant, respectively.

According to a 2025 study, ***** and ***************** were the travel destinations that reported the highest change in the share of flight bookings from Europe between June and September 2025 over the previous year. *****, ********, and ******* followed in the ranking.

A 2025 study analyzed the cheapest cities to visit in Europe by calculating the average price of a series of products, services, and activities. Overall, Riga, in Latvia, ranked as the cheapest European travel destination, with an average daily cost of around *** British pounds. Vilnius, in Lithuania, followed in second place, with an average cost of roughly *** British pounds per day.

The Louvre in Paris was the most visited museum in Europe in 2023. That year, the renowned institution, which also topped the ranking of the most visited museums worldwide, recorded around *** million visits. While attendance increased significantly over the previous year, it did not fully recover yet from the impact of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the Vatican Museums in the Vatican City and the British Museum in London followed in the ranking in 2023, with around *** million and *** million visits, respectively. London – the museum capital of Europe? Of the 20 most popular museums in Europe in 2023, *** were located in London. That year, the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in South Kensington ranked as the most visited tourist attractions in the United Kingdom, ahead of the Crown Estate's Windsor Great Park, which was England's most visited paid attraction in 2023. What are the most popular city tourism destinations in Europe? London and Paris ranked as the leading city tourism destinations in Europe based on the number of bed nights in 2023, ahead of Istanbul, Berlin, and Rome. That year, the two cities also reported the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals among leading European destinations, each with over ** million arrivals.

A "workation" is a trip where people travel to a new destination and work from there for at least part of their stay. Lisbon, Portugal was ranked by the source as the leading city destination for a workation in Europe in 2021. The ranking considers factors including WiFi connection, co-working spaces, average price of buying a coffee, average price of taxi per km2, after-work drinks, accommodation, food, climate, tourist attractions, and instagramability. For further information on the methodology, please consult the supplementary notes.

Younger audiences dominate TikTok, a social video app that is also used extensively by influencers and travel bloggers. In April 2023, ********* was the city in Europe with the most TikTok views, amassing over *** billion views of videos tagged with the city's name. ****** was also extremely popular with TikTok users, totaling over **** billion views in April 2023, making the UK capital one of the most danceable cities in Europe. Other popular European cities tagged on the app were Paris, Istanbul, and Madrid.

In a survey conducted by BVA in 2015, most of French people chose New York City as the foreign city they would like to visit on holiday. The Big Apple remains popular in France, despite being one of the most expensive holiday destinations in the world in 2018. New York City’s famous architecture, as well as the Statue of Liberty or Central Park, keep attracting thousands of French who want to discover the city that never sleeps.

The French dream of distant cities

It appears that when it comes to popular foreign cities, French tourists seem to have a clear preference for cities which are far from home. In this ranking, New York was followed by Sydney and Montreal. This trend follows another a ranking from 2015 about the most attractive countries for holiday. According to the French, the United States was ranked first, before Canada and Australia. However, the French are still able to dream of their European neighbors. Florence, Barcelona and Rome were among the most popular cities according to French tourists. Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy or Portugal were also among the destinations French people considered going to for summer holidays. Proximity, organization and price explain why, even if the French dream of holidays on the other side of the world, they tend to spend their holidays in Europe or even in their own country.

Reasons for travelling in France when you are French

Some regions in France, because of their pleasant living environment or their closeness to the sea, are among the most popular for French tourists. Corsica, Brittany and Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur are three very famous tourist destinations in the country. It also seems that French tourists like to spend their holidays with family of friends, which could explain why most French people plan holiday trips in their own country.

The British Museum was the most visited tourist attraction in London in 2024, welcoming roughly *** million visitors. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington and the Tate Modern followed in the ranking that year, with around *** million and *** million visits, respectively. Overall, while the combined attendance at the leading tourist attractions in London increased in 2024 over the previous year, the number of visits at most of the selected attractions remained below pre-pandemic levels. Museums in the UK The museum industry plays an important role in the United Kingdom’s cultural sector. In 2023, museums and galleries accounted for approximately ***** percent of the cultural sector's employment in the UK. Meanwhile, the number of museum enterprises in the United Kingdom experienced an annual increase in 2024, reaching nearly ***. London's contribution to tourism in the UK London is by far the most visited destination in the United Kingdom by international travelers, accounting for over **** of all international tourist arrivals in the UK in 2023. That year, the UK's capital also ranked as the leading city tourism destination in Europe based on the number of bed nights, ahead of Paris and Istanbul.

The number of international tourist arrivals worldwide rose sharply in 2023 compared to the previous year across all the most visited destinations in the world. Overall, France was the most visited country by inbound travelers worldwide in 2023, with *** million international tourist arrivals. Spain, the United States, and Italy followed in the ranking that year. Has global inbound tourism recovered from the impact of COVID-19? In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide totaled approximately *** billion. While this figure represented a ** percent annual increase, it remained below the peak in inbound tourist arrivals reported in 2019, the year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, international tourism receipts worldwide exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023, peaking at *** trillion U.S. dollars. What are the most popular global regions for inbound tourism? When breaking down the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide by region, Europe has consistently reported the highest volume of inbound travelers, both before and after the impact of the health crisis. In 2023, this region alone accounted for roughly ** percent of global inbound tourist arrivals. Meanwhile, Asia and the Pacific recorded the second-highest number of inbound tourist arrivals worldwide in 2023.