The line graph compares the number of overseas tourists, measured in millions, who visited France, Spain, and Japan between 1990 and 2020.
Overall, France remained the most popular destination throughout the period, while Spain experienced the fastest growth and gradually narrowed the gap with France. In contrast, Japan followed a different trend: after a slight increase during the 1990s, the number of international visitors declined steadily over the following two decades.
In 1990, France attracted approximately 45 million overseas tourists, compared with 40 million in Japan and only 30 million in Spain. During the next ten years, visitor numbers rose steadily in all three countries. By 2000, France had reached 55 million tourists, Spain had increased to 40 million, and Japan peaked at around 43 million.
From 2005 onwards, France and Spain continued to record significant growth. France welcomed 60 million tourists in 2005 before climbing sharply to 70 million in 2010 and eventually reaching 82 million by 2020. Spain experienced an even more dramatic rise, increasing from 50 million visitors in 2005 to 60 million in 2010, 68 million in 2015, and 75 million at the end of the period.
By contrast, Japan’s tourism figures declined after 2000. The number of overseas visitors fell from 43 million to 41 million in 2005, then dropped further to 38 million in 2010. This downward trend continued, with tourist arrivals decreasing to 36 million in 2015 and just 34 million in 2020, making Japan the least visited of the three countries by the end of the period.