Tourists Collectively Spend More Money in This Country Than Any Other
Every traveler knows that in some destinations, tourists are bound to shell out a little more cash than others.
But some countries attract such massive amounts of travelers, they can rake in top dollar from the tourism industry by sheer force of numbers.
New data from the World Tourism Organization shows the top countries making the most money from tourism. They are also -- unsurprisingly -- the countries with the highest number of international arrivals. The trade group calculated the total amount of money spent by international-inbound tourists on transportation, goods and services to rank the top nations banking the most profit from visitors. The data also revealed that international tourist arrivals grew 6.8% globally in 2017 — marking the biggest increase since 2010.
When looking at tourism expenditures in US dollars, most tourism spending is happening in Western countries and some Asian destinations like Japan, Thailand and Macao. With $211 billion in international receipts, the US ranked No. 1 and makes up for 16% of the entire world's tourist expenditures, even though US tourist arrivals decreased by 3.8% in 2017.
The data also discovered that four out of five travelers will stick to traveling within their own regions and that Europe generates almost half of the world's international arrivals. Within the Americas, North America accounts for two-thirds of the regions arrivals and expenditures. Additionally, out of the top 10 countries with highest tourist receipts and arrivals, seven of them make an appearance on both lists.
Top 10 International Receipts
- USA: $211B
- Spain: $68B
- France: $61B
- Thailand: $57B
- United Kingdom: $51B
- Italy: $44B
- Australia: $42B
- Germany: $40B
- Macao (China): $36B
- Japan: $34B
The combined value of these countries make up almost half the world's tourism expenditures.
Top 10 International Arrivals
- France: 87M
- Spain: 82M
- USA: 76M
- China: 61M
- Italy: 58M
- Mexico: 39M
- United Kingdom: 38M
- Turkey: 38M
- Germany: 38M
- Thailand: 35M
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app