France — with its patchwork landscape of quaint rural villages, glamorous seaside towns and historical cities — is an easily accessible, year-round destination, drawing visitors from around the world to its smorgasbord of culture, history and charm. So it's hardly surprising, then, that a 2023 report from GlobalData, announced it was on track to become the most visited country by 2025, when 93.7 million international travellers are set to visit the country annually.
However, its position in the top spot may be short-lived, as according to a report entitled ‘NextGen Travelers and Destinations’, jointly conducted by Google and Deloitte, there is another country that is set to attract even more visitors by 2040: Spain.
Currently in second position, the European destination — already well-known for its family-friendly hotels, honey-hued sandy beaches and myriad eating opportunities for foodies in-the-know — has been forecasted to welcome 110 million tourists annually to its shores, followed by France (105 million) and the United States (100 million).
And it's not hard to understand why. With an average of 300 sunny days per year, the European destination is particularly popular with Brits who are able to snap up affordable airfare deals and head for some short-haul sun. During the summer months, temperatures can rise to the high 30s, and even winters here come with a healthy dose of Vitamin D.
The 110 million visitor prediction would mark an increase of over 24 per cent, with around 84 million people heading to Spain in 2023 — already a record-breaking number for the region, sparking a swathe of new restaurants, bars and hotel openings in order to accommodate the ever-growing masses.
This year, Spain was visited by 6.3 million international tourists in March alone, 21 per cent more than in the same period of 2023, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The country once again also broke its record for tourist spending during the same month, with foreign visitors bringing in almost €8.65 billion (£7.3 billion), an increase of 29.7 per cent on March last year.
For now, though, France remains in poll position as the most-visited country in the world. As Hannah Free, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Alongside Italy and Spain, France represents a significant segment of the growth in Western Europe. The country is not only popular with travellers from Europe itself — especially the UK, Germany and Belgium — but it is also popular with visitors from further afield, including China and the United States. In fact, France is one of the top Western European destinations for US travellers.”