The table presents a comparison of international tourist arrivals in millions across nine countries for the years 2009 and 2010, alongside the percentage change in these figures.
Overall, the majority of the countries experienced growth in tourist arrivals, with the exception of Hong Kong, which saw a decline. Notably, China and Germany exhibited remarkable growth rates.
In 2009, France was the leading destination with 76 million international arrivals, a figure that remained unchanged in 2010. The United States followed closely, experiencing a minor increase from 66 million to 67 million, reflecting a percentage change of 1.5%. Spain and the United Kingdom also recorded rises in tourist numbers, with Spain’s arrivals increasing from 55 to 56 million (+1.8%) and the UK’s from 55 to 57 million (+3.6%). Italy saw a modest growth from 44 million to 45 million, marking a 2.3% increase. Conversely, Turkey experienced significant growth, with tourist arrivals climbing from 33 million in 2009 to 45 million in 2010, which represents a substantial increase of 33%.
Remarkably, China registered the highest percentage increase in international tourists, with arrivals surging from 22 million to 34 million, equating to a striking growth of 55%. Germany followed closely with an impressive increase from 11 million to 23 million, reflecting a dramatic percentage rise of 109%. In contrast, Hong Kong faced a decline in tourist arrivals, decreasing from 10 million in 2009 to 9 million in 2010, equivalent to an 11% drop. This divergence illustrates varying trends in the tourism sector across these nine countries over the two years.