The table presents information on international tourist arrivals, measured in millions, for eight countries/destinations in 2009 and 2010, along with the percentage changes between these two years.
Overall, France consistently attracted the highest number of international tourists in both years, while Hong Kong had the lowest figures. The majority of countries experienced an increase in visitor numbers, with Germany showing the most significant growth. In contrast, Hong Kong was the only destination to see a decline, while France maintained stable figures.
Among the countries with notable changes, Germany stood out with the highest percentage increase of 109%, although its actual visitor numbers remained relatively low compared to most other countries. China experienced a substantial growth, with tourist arrivals rising by a third from 33 to 45 million, making it the second most visited destination in 2010. In contrast, France, the top destination in both years, maintained a stable figure of 76 million visitors, showing no change. At the other end of the spectrum, Hong Kong was the only country to see a decline, with an 11% decrease in international tourists.
The remaining countries – the USA, Spain, the UK, and Italy – all experienced moderate growth, with increases ranging from 1.5% to 3.6%. The USA attracted the highest number of visitors among these four, with 59.7 million in 2010, followed by Spain and the UK, both receiving around 52.7 million visitors. Despite having similar visitor numbers, Spain’s growth rate (1.5%) was lower than that of the UK (3.6%). Italy saw a 2.3% increase, welcoming just under 50 million visitors in 2010, placing it fifth overall in terms of visitor numbers.