According to Euronews, citing data from Visual Capitalist, Saudi Arabia topped the ranking of international tourist arrivals for 2019–2025. The number of foreign tourists visiting the country rose by 67%. The country is actively investing in the development of the industry, making tourism one of the key components of its economy. Morocco took second place (+53%), and Egypt came in third (+47%).
Brazil (+46%) and Colombia (+45%) also made the top five. Japan (+34%) was the only Asian country in the top ten, followed by Chile (+33%), Norway (+28%), Serbia (+27%), and Denmark (+22%).
Europe as a whole has managed to recover from the pandemic faster than expected. Portugal, Spain, and France are already welcoming more international tourists than before the COVID-19 pandemic, confirming that the continent remains one of the world’s leading tourism hubs.
However, the recovery has been far from uniform. Germany is still receiving 6% fewer international visitors than in 2019, Italy 5% fewer, and Ireland has lost nearly a third of its international tourist arrivals. The 32% decline was the second-largest in the world.
Israel was hit the hardest. Against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip, the number of international arrivals fell by 71%—the sharpest decline among all countries included in the study.
The situation is also far from ideal in North America. The U.S. lost 14% of its international tourist arrivals, and Canada lost 11%. In South America, declines were recorded in Argentina (-23%) and Peru (-22%).
Not all popular destinations in Asia and Oceania have managed to return to their previous levels. Thailand has been hit harder than the rest, with the number of foreign tourists remaining 17% below 2019 levels. New Zealand (-9%), Australia (-6%), and Indonesia (-4%) are also recovering more slowly, as pandemic restrictions remained in place longer there than in many other countries.
Top 10 countries by growth in international tourism, 2019–2025:
- Saudi Arabia — +67%;
- Morocco — +53%;
- Egypt — +47%;
- Brazil — +46%;
- Colombia — +45%;
- Japan — +34%;
- Chile — +33%;
- Norway — +28%;
- Serbia — +27%;
- Denmark — +22%.
