2 weeks ago
3
Oliver Smith
September 4, 2025 — 5:00am
France is top of the class, Tuvalu is bottom, we’re flocking to several destinations that were recently considered too dangerous to visit, and Ireland has fallen dramatically from favour.
These are some of the most interesting findings following a comprehensive analysis of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO)‘s global tourism statistics.
Let’s take a closer look…
See you in El Salvador
A decade ago, El Salvador’s murder rate was a world-leading 106.3 per 100,000 residents. Now, thanks to the draconian – though highly effective – anti-crime policies of cryptocurrency-loving president Nayib Bukele, it stands at a remarkable 1.9 per 100,000 (only slightly higher than the UK’s).
With the streets now safe, tourists are making a beeline for this little Central American country, which welcomed 3.2 million international visitors in 2024, including more than 1.2 million from the US, an increase of 80 per cent on the figure for 2019.
Only two countries (see below) have seen a sharper rise over the same period.
Another formerly crime-ridden Latin American country has also experienced a serious surge in tourism.
Colombia, which – with its drug wars and armed insurgency – was off-limits 20 years ago, is fast becoming a hipster holiday option par excellence.
Almost 6.6 million international tourists went in 2024 – up from 4.2 million in 2019, a 58 per cent rise.
The Qatar is out of the bag
If you can turn a dusty slice of Middle Eastern desert, where it’s too hot for half of the year to even set foot outside, into a thriving holiday destination, then anything is possible.
Qatar greeted almost 5.1 million tourists in 2024 – more than Norway, Malta, Mauritius and Jamaica – with a bevy of world-class museums, hotels and restaurants helping people overlook the sweltering temperatures and questionable human rights record.
That represents a rise of 138 per cent since 2019 – making it the world’s fastest-growing holiday destination.
It is not the only Gulf state successfully diversifying its previously oil-reliant economy, of course.
Bahrain, over the same period, has seen arrival numbers rise by 72 per cent; Saudi Arabia by 69.6 per cent.
Albania has hit the mainstream
Not too long ago Albania was considered a decidedly offbeat option for a summer escape, a choice likely to lower the cost of your holiday budget, but probably raise one or two eyebrows. No longer.
The Balkan nation, driven by PM Edi Rama’s thirst for foreign sunseekers (and their cash) and comparisons with the Maldives by social media “influencers”, has well and truly hit the holiday mainstream.
Almost 11.3 million international tourists visited in 2024, up 6.1 million on 2019 – a rise of 84.3 per cent.
The official goal is to grow this to 20 million by 2030, a figure that would put Albania on a par with Croatia, and new hospitality developments are coming thick and fast.
Among the most high-profile projects, Jared Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump will spend $1.4 billion building a luxury hotel on the island of Sazan.
Opposition to Albania’s policy is stirring, however, with fears already raised over environmental damage and overtourism.
The world’s next overtourism battleground?
Beyond Albania, where else might see the sorts of anti-tourism protests that have plagued destinations like Dubrovnik, Venice and Barcelona?
The data points to Malta, which has witnessed a 29.5 per cent rise in overseas arrivals since 2019 (and a 19.6 per cent rise in the last year alone).
It is also small – just 316 square kilometres – so its 3.6 million annual visitors works out at 11,392 tourists per square kilometre (only Monaco, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sint Maarten cram them in tighter).
Malta travel expert Juliet Rix says: “On recent visits, I’ve found Valletta uncomfortably full for the first time. The Maltese have always welcomed tourists and will probably continue to do so for the moment, but there is indeed now a risk of overtourism and all that that implies.”
Is a backlash brewing in Japan?
Beyond Europe, it seems logical to expect more overtourism problems in Japan. Foreign arrivals totalled 36.9 million in 2024, up 47.1 per cent on 2023 – a sharper one-year rise than any other country bar South Korea, and up 15.7 per cent up on the 2019 figure.
Furthermore, the UNWTO’s year-to-date stats show another big rise is on the cards for 2025 (during Q1, arrivals were up 23.1 per cent year on year; were that repeated for the whole of 2025, Japan would be looking at over 44 million annual tourists).
Given the ample evidence of anti-tourist sentiment already present in the country (populist party Sanseito, which advocates a “Japanese First” agenda, has been soaring in polls), it feels like things could come to a head.
Will we see the same sorts of protests that have dogged European countries in famously polite and reserved Japan? Perhaps not.
But steeper tourist taxes, more two-tier pricing (with holidaymakers paying more for entry to attractions and even restaurant meals), and caps on visitor number (as was introduced at Mount Fuji recently) could be on the cards.
The Irish goodbye
One country experiencing a very different sort of tourism problem is the Emerald Isle. Having welcomed almost 11 million overseas visitors in 2019, its post-COVID recovery has been poor.
Only 6.3 million visited in 2023, and that only rose to 6.6 million in 2024 – still 39.8 per cent down on the pre-pandemic figure, worse than any other European country.
What’s going on? Nicola Brady, a travel writer based in Ireland, said: “The biggest factor is likely the most obvious – cost.
“Ireland has long had a reputation as an expensive country, and when pennies are being pinched in holidaymakers’ pockets, cheaper destinations are likely to win out.”
She cited a 2023 VAT hike, which hit hospitality hard, as well as spiralling hotel rates, largely due to increased costs but exacerbated by the state using a significant proportion of hotel capacity to house asylum seekers.
Problems for the South Pacific, and Peru
Ireland isn’t the only country where arrival numbers remain well below pre-COVID levels. For the likes of Israel (down 78.9 per cent), Myanmar (down 75.8 per cent), Lebanon (down 41.6 per cent) and Iran (down 22.6 per cent), conflict and security concerns are clearly to blame.
The Pacific Islands are suffering, with holidaymakers perhaps reticent to commit to far-flung (and costly) adventures during times of economic uncertainty; Micronesia (down 90 per cent), Guam (down 55.8 per cent), New Caledonia (down 55 per cent), the Northern Mariana Islands (down 53 per cent), the Marshall Islands (down 40.9 per cent), Palau (down 40.4 per cent) and Vanuatu (down 36.4 per cent) are all way off their 2019 marks.
The US “Trump Slump” would appear to be real, with the States recording 72.4 million visitors in 2024, down 8.9 per cent on the 2019 figure.
Other countries still struggling to rebound from the pandemic include the Philippines (down 34.2 per cent), Peru (down 25.5 per cent), Hungary (down 22.3 per cent), South Africa (down 12.8 per cent), Australia (down 12.6 per cent) Thailand (down 10.9 per cent), Italy (down 10.5 per cent) and Canada (down 10 per cent).
Britain’s PR problems
While it has not yet returned full statistics for 2024, Britain is another country whose recovery has been sluggish. It welcomed 37.2 million overseas visitors in 2023, down 5.6 per cent on 2019, and projections for 2024 and 2025 suggest only a slight improvement.
Furthermore, spending by tourists is down 8 per cent, translating to a £2.8 billion ($5.74 billion) dip when adjusted for inflation.
Various factors have been cited, including high prices for meals out and hotel stays (the World Economic Forum ranks the UK 113th out of 119 countries for price competitiveness), rising visa fees, and the scrapping of tax-free shopping for tourists.
“For those who watch the news, the UK has not had the best promotional campaigns,“ adds travel writer and UK expert Chris Moss.
“Raw sewage at the seaside, rising knife crime, chaos on the railways and even the axing of HS2 (high-speed rail project) are hardly enticing images.”
All hail France
The UNWTO’s stats show that 2024 was a landmark year for France. A staggering 102 million foreign visitors poured into the land of cheese and wine – more tourists than have visited a single country in a single year, ever.
It’s also three times more annual visitors than Greece (the ninth most visited country in 2024 – excluding those which have not supplied data) and Japan. Yet, while overtourism has become a political hot potato in both Greece and Japan, France has seen barely a murmur about too many holidaymakers (occasional grumbles about Emily in Paris-inspired influencers aside).
What’s its secret? Size clearly matters – France is bigger than the aforementioned countries, so there’s more room to spread out your beach towel.
Anthony Peregrine, France travel expert, offers a couple of theories: “France simply doesn’t attract quite so many of the people who, bottles in hand, disturb decent locals at 2.30am. There is, of course, poor behaviour on the Riviera but it’s mainly by millionaires and they have a way of getting themselves indulged.
“French families also tend to holiday in France, often in those seaside places where we might expect evening affairs to get out of hand. Their presence – I know; I’ve seen it – has a calming, even civilising effect. And, anyway, French holiday resort locals are far less likely to demonstrate against other French people than they would be against foreign visitors.”
Tuvalu’s 200
Finally, a word on the plucky little island of Tuvalu. Of the 195 countries to have provided the UNWTO with tourism data since 2022, it registered the smallest number of annual visitors: a paltry 200 (in 2022; figures for 2023 and 2024 are unavailable). That’s a single plane load.
The Telegraph, London
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.
