France has remained the most visited country in the world for more than three decades, thanks to an unparalleled tourist offer. Icons such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Versailles Palace and the Notre Dame Cathedral continue to attract millions of visitors every year.
To this are added the beaches of the Costa Azul, Disneyland Paris and a natural environment that combines medieval peoples, vineyards and mountains. In 2024 alone, France received 89.4 million tourists, consolidating itself as the most visited country in Europe.
Spain, another international tourism giant, It offers a diversity of experiences ranging from the architecture of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona to the imposing Alhambra in Granada.
The country also houses the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Oceanogràfic in Valencia, the largest aquarium in Europe, and the beaches of Gran Canaria. On the island of Tenerife, the Teide National Park allows an old volcano still to travel.
The United States continues with 79.7 million tourists in 2024. The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and Empire State, are some of the destinations that cannot be lost.
In the list continues China with 56.7 million tourists and Italy with 64.5 million tourists in 2024. Two places that stand out for their architecture, tradition and gastronomy.
Türkiye was six, 51.2 million tourists. The Mediterranean nation combines captivating artificial attractions such as the Mosque of Santa Sofía and the Topkapi Palace with archaeological wonders such as the Biblical City of Ephesus, the city of the Fairy of Cappadocia and the desolate splendor of Mount Nemrut.
In the seventh place there is Mexico a country that stands out for its music and his culinary and that managed to captivate 45 million visitors.
And, although Colombia failed to enter the ranking of more visited, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, said that Colombia received 6.2 million tourists, A fact that classifies the country in the 84th of the most visited and that was an unprecedented milestone for the country. This represents sustained growth after the Covid-19 pandemic, with an increase of 11% compared to the previous year. According to sector projections, tourism in Colombia generates economic revenues exceeding $ 36,000 million.
Global Tourism: Recovery after COVID-19
The Covid-19 Pandemia represented a hard setback for the travel and tourism sector worldwide. Only in 2020, health restrictions, border closures and global uncertainty caused an unprecedented drop in tourism activity, generating economic losses for approximately US $ 4.5 billion and affecting 62 million jobs, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The statistics of the World Tourism Organization, OMT, confirm the magnitude of the impact: The number of international arrivals collapsed about 74% compared to 2019, which resulted in 1,000 million less travelers during the year and an unprecedented setback in the income of the sector. In 2020 alone, US $ 1.3 billion stopped receiving and between 100 and 120 million jobs were lost or at risk.
Although 2021 marked a slight recovery, tourism activity levels continued away from those registered before the health crisis. The most optimistic projections at the end of that year already postponed full recovery of the sector until 2023 or even beyond, due to the persistence of the virus and the new variants.
