France topped the world’s tourism destinations again in 2017, but the #2 and #3 spots flipped, with Spain passing the United States on a 9% increase in visitors over 2016.
Spain had its fifth record year in a row, despite both terror attacks in Barcelona and the Catalonia secession crisis; the U.S. had a drop of several percent in the first two quarters—the so-called ‘Trump slump.’
France’s visitor total came in at 82.6 million, less than a million ahead of Spain’s 82 million. The U.S. total was 78 million, with only New York and Los Angeles showing significant growth.
Photo: Colmar, France (PHeymont/TravelGumbo)
