Band 9: The line graph below shows the number of overseas tourists (in millions) who visited France, Spain, and Japan between 1990 and 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The line graph illustrates the number of international tourists who visited France, Spain and Japan over a three-decade span, from 1990 to 2020.

Overall, France and Spain showed a consistent upward trend throughout the specified timeframe, while Japan fluctuated before declining gradually. Notably, France remained the most popular among the three countries, with the highest number of visitors over the thirty-year period.

In detail, France and Spain began at 45 and 30 million tourists, respectively. France’s figure increased steadily and eventually reached a peak of just over 80 million in 2020. Similarly, Spain’s figure rose rapidly to 40 million in 2000. The figure then soared dramatically to around 75 million, surpassing Japan by 2005 and became the second-most popular country.

Conversely, Japan was initially the second-most visited country at the beginning of the period, starting with 40 million tourists. The figure then increased slightly to approximately 42 million in the following decade, before dropping steadily to roughly 35 million by the end of the period.