France Gets the Tourists. America Gets the Money.

France stayed world #1 with 102 million visitors in 2024 — but the US, only third in arrivals, banked $215 billion, nearly triple France's tourism income.

The top 3

  1. The 30-Year Reign: Why Nobody Can Dethrone France: France has topped the world arrivals ranking for over three decades, hitting 102 million international visitors in 2024 — more tourists than it has residents.
  2. The New Hotspots: Qatar +137%, Albania +80%: Measured against pre-pandemic 2019, UN Tourism's fastest risers are Qatar (+137%), El Salvador (+81%), Albania (+80%) and Saudi Arabia (+69%) — not the old European giants.
  3. Follow the Money: Who Actually Wins Tourism: The US ranked just third in 2024 arrivals with 72.4 million visitors, yet earned $215 billion — the biggest tourism income on Earth and nearly triple what champion France collected.

Sources

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