Countries with the highest number of inbound tourist arrivals worldwide 2019-2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit international tourism hard in 2020, as countries worldwide implemented travel bans and emergency restrictions to limit the spread of the virus. As a result of the health crisis, the volume of inbound travelers fell substantially across all major global tourist destinations. Overall, France recorded the highest volume of inbound travelers worldwide in 2020. However, the number of international tourist arrivals in the European country more than halved due to the pandemic, passing from nearly 91 million in 2019 to around 41.7 million in 2020. That year, Italy, Mexico, and the United States followed in the ranking, all reporting significant drops in inbound visitors over 2019.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact international tourism?

The year 2020 will be probably remembered as one of the most challenging moments for the global travel and tourism sector. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced most travelers across the world to cancel or reschedule their trips, causing a dramatic decline in the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide. After reaching around 400 million in 2020 – the lowest figure reported since 1989 – the volume of international tourist arrivals rose by 3.8 percent in 2021 but remained way below pre-pandemic levels.

What is the most popular region in the world for inbound tourism?

When looking at the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide broken down by region, Europe has constantly reported the highest volume of inbound travelers over the last fifteen years. Despite the COVID-19 impact, this region alone accounted for approximately 67 percent of total inbound tourist arrivals in 2021. Meanwhile, according to a forecast by the European Travel Commission, the inbound visitor growth in Europe was expected to bounce back across all regions in 2022, after having decreased sharply due to the pandemic.