Thailand, a small country famous for its beaches, relaxed lifestyle, and delicious foods among other charms, was ranked ninth among the world’s most visited countries by the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
In a report published yesterday, Thailand continues to rise in the rankings — it moved up one spot to the 9th place with arrivals of 32.6 million tourists. In terms of tourism receipts, Thailand also climbed from 5th place to 3rd and made revenue of USD49.9 billion from the sector.
The ranking was conducted based on last year’s tourism data across the globe.
READ: In an unrelated recent study, Thailand was also named one of the cheapest countries to buy a beer.
UNWTO also noted that international tourist arrivals worldwide are expected to increase by 3.3 percent per year between 2010 and 2030 to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, according to a long-term forecast.
Where do travelers flock to? Here are the top countries:
- France (82.6 million tourist arrivals)
- United States (75.6 million tourist arrivals)
- Spain (75.6 million tourist arrivals)
- China (59.3 million tourist arrivals)
- Italy (52.4 million tourist arrivals)
- United Kingdom (35.8 million tourist arrivals)
- Germany (35.6 million tourist arrivals)
- Mexico (35 million tourist arrivals)
- Thailand (32.6 million tourist arrivals)
- Turkey (data still pending)
