China is number one source of international tourists

So, which country has the most international visitors?

Both in numbers and spending, the number one source of international tourists is China, whose people spent $165 billion on travel in 2013.

In the league tables of the continents, Europe holds the number one spot with 563 million visitors, 29 million more than in 2012.

The most attractive region was Southern and Mediterranean Europe, which welcomed 201 million international visitors in 2013.

The world’s number one destination was France, the world’s favorite holiday spot for most of the post-war period, drawing 85 million international visitors in 2013.

In second place, and a long way behind, is the United States , with 69.8 million visitors, followed by Spain, China and Italy.

After China, Thailand is Asia’s best performer, with 26.5 million arrivals in 2013, an increase of almost 20 percent on the previous year, making it the meteor of world tourism that year.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, in 2013 the global tourism industry accounted for 9 percent of world GDP and one in every 11 jobs.

In that year international tourism numbers grew by 6 percent to 1.087 billion, predicted to increase to 1.8 billion by 2030.

In 2013, Asia and the Pacific recorded 6 percent growth in tourism numbers, the strongest of any continent, followed by Europe and Africa.

Visitor numbers to the Americas grew by 3 percent, with no growth in the Middle East.

Over the next two decades international tourism to emerging destinations is predicted to increase at twice the rate of well-established destinations.