The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published its 2016 Annual Report.

As stated in the Annual Report, 2016 was a successful year for international tourism despite many challenges. The number of international tourists reached 1.2 billion, with seven consecutive years of uninterrupted growth not recorded since the 1960s. The strongest growth was recorded in Africa and in the Asia and Pacific region.

Among the countries most preferred by international tourists, the top five were France (84.5 million), the USA (77.5 million), Spain (68.5 million), China (56.9 million) and Italy (50.7 million).

In terms of international tourism expenditure, the ranking was as follows: China (USD 261 billion), the USA (USD 122 billion), Germany (USD 81 billion), the United Kingdom (USD 64 billion) and France (USD 41 billion).

Between 2008 and 2016, 300 million more people traveled internationally for tourism-related reasons. Growth in advanced economy regions increased by 5% compared to 2015, exceeding the growth rate of emerging economies (+2%).

For the full report; http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284418725