France and the U.S. kept their #1 and #2 spots as top tourist destinations for 2016, even though each had lower figures than the year before. Surging Spain almost overtook the U.S. for the second spot.
The figures, from the UN World Tourism Organization, credited France with 82.6 million visitors, down more than 2% from 2015. The U.S. had a 3% drop to 75.61 million, while Spain’s total jumped more than 10% to 75.56 million.
Fourth and fifth places went to China and Italy, the same as the year before. Britain, which had ranked third in 2015, fell to seventh place.
The rankings may shake up a bit again for next year; France has reported strong numbers this year after drops attributed to terrorism fears last year. Spain has continued to gain visitors who might otherwise have chosen Turkey, Egypt or North Africa, and the U.S. has seen a so-called ‘Trump Slump’ in tourism caused in part by uncertainty over visas and travel rules.
