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Countries with Most Tourists with Exceptions

Name the non-European countries that receive the most international tourists.
For 2018, according to the UN World Tourism Organization
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 15, 2019
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First submittedJanuary 7, 2017
Times taken74,149
Average score85.0%
Rating4.94
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Rank
# Arrivals
Country
3
79.6 m
United States
4
62.9 m
China
6
45.8 m
Turkey
7
41.4 m
Mexico
9
38.3 m
Thailand
11
31.1 m
Japan
14
25.8 m
Malaysia
17
21.1 m
Canada
20
17.4 m
India
24
15.9 m
United Arab Emirates
Rank
# Arrivals
Country
25
15.5 m
Vietnam
26
15.3 m
South Korea
27
15.3 m
Saudi Arabia
28
14.7 m
Singapore
31
13.4 m
Indonesia
32
12.3 m
Morocco
35
11.3 m
Egypt
36
11.0 m
Taiwan
37
10.5 m
South Africa
38
9.25 m
Australia
+5
Level 66
Jan 17, 2017
No Fiji, New Zealand, Madagascar, or Brazil. India way down the list. Hmmm.
+28
Level 57
Apr 27, 2017
Fiji is the tiniest island in a very remote place, you must live in New Zealand to think 3 of those 4
+5
Level 65
Jan 7, 2018
Yeah, I put all of those and from new zealand
+1
Level 56
Feb 20, 2023
I put all of those and I'm from the USA
+2
Level 36
Apr 29, 2017
Argentina receive more tourist than Brazil and it is not in the list either.
+3
Level 65
Jan 7, 2018
Brazil receives more tourists than Argentina...
+1
Level 85
Jan 8, 2018
Brazil is on there now
+6
Level 50
Feb 11, 2020
Not any more.
+1
Level 40
Apr 6, 2021
madagascar and fiji doesnt make sense but brazil and new zealand does
+12
Level 76
Jan 21, 2017
Saudi Arabia??? But tourist visas are all-but-impossible to obtain to visit there. I wonder if religious pilgrimages to Mecca are counted as "tourism" in these statistics?
+5
Level 47
Jan 22, 2017
I was always under the impression that a tourist was anyone who visited a country for less than a year. Anyone who stayed longer was considered an immigrant. But I don't know where I got those term definitions from.
+8
Level 85
Feb 25, 2017
Yes, the pilgramage counts as tourism, you can look here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Saudi_Arabia#Religious_tourism

+2
Level 82
Apr 27, 2017
Yes this is an error in my opinion. Saudi Arabia has no tourists, they only have pilgrims. I don't think they should count.
+15
Level 51
Apr 27, 2017
Pilgrims are still visitors/tourists to the country, so of course with Mecca being in Saudi I knew they'd be included in this list ...doesn't matter what the reason is for these ppl visiting
+5
Level 82
Apr 27, 2017
Visitors, okay. Tourists? I think not. I made it clear that this was an opinion. And I think it matters a lot. Is a businessman attending a meeting a tourist? Is someone commuting to work a tourist? Is a reporter doing an investigative report from another country a tourist? Is a soldier invading a country a tourist? There are many reasons that you could go to another country that don't fall under "tourism." Fulfilling a religious obligation with strictly prescribed ritualized things to do and places to go to is, in my opinion, definitely one of those reasons.
+3
Level 53
Apr 27, 2017
Thank you for the insightful comments, kal. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy reading the comments section.
+2
Level 82
Aug 25, 2017
Saudi doesn't even issue tourist visas. There are hajj visas, umrah visas (both pilgrimage), transit visas, business visas, work visas, family visit visas... but tourism visas are not a thing in Saudi Arabia.
+1
Level 67
Sep 21, 2017
Soldiers invading a country are tourists? Then we're missing out on alot!
+1
Level 51
Jan 21, 2024
Invading involves attacking people and areas with weapons to take control...visiting involves peacefully exploring the country's culture, landmarks, food, shops, etc...not exactly the same thing XD
+3
Level 82
Sep 26, 2017
Tourists in lets say wider sense include all temporary visitors (I'm sure there's a nice definition by WTO that excludes the military) - tourists, travellers, businessmen, pilgrims, shoppers, health treatment, family visits etc. The limit between them is not so clear as the "non-tourists" would sometimes like to claim. Maybe you go on business trip to discuss contracts, visit factories, negotiate etc, but you may also go to sauna, play golf, fine dining etc. Or you're a pilgrim to Rome, Jerusalem, Lourdes or on foot to Santiago, but besides prayer and mediation you go sightseeing, buy souvenirs, take selfies etc. I have similar issues with pretentious backpackers ...
+2
Level 82
Jan 7, 2018
There is nothing in the Christian religion like the duty for hajj in Islam. It's different. "Pilgrims" going to visit the Vatican are not similar to Muslims going to circumambulate the kabaa, IMO. And actually if you go on hajj or umrah visa usually you are not technically allowed to visit other areas of the country besides Jeddah (the port of arrival) and Mecca.
+4
Level 69
Jan 25, 2018
I agreed that either the quiz should be changed to "visitors" or Saudi Arabia should be removed. If a country doesn't even issue tourist visas, how can they have tourists?
+2
Level 77
Sep 25, 2019
Samiamco, there's a simple answer to that - just let people in without any visa at all. Avanti Populo!
+5
Level 73
Feb 11, 2020
Okay, as a muslim, I once again feel the need to insert the clarifying caveat that Umrahs and the Hajj are not equivalent. Hajj is compulsory. Umrahs are voluntary, short trips to Mecca to perform certain rituals and prayers. Yes, they are technically pilgrimages, but are just the same as trips to Santiago, the Vatican, or Jerusalem. I consider an Umrah visa a touritst visa, by the general definition. The Hajj one, admittedly, I would not.

In any case, the Saudi government recently overhauled their whole system and are now issuing tourist visas and widely advertising to the western countries.

+1
Level 82
May 12, 2021
^true. But I'm sure the number of actual tourists they now receive is still tiny compared to the number of religious pilgrims performing a duty.
+6
Level 74
Mar 16, 2017
I know Turkey is mostly in Asia, but I didn't type it in as an answer, because Turkey is considered to be a European country. So, why is it on the list?
+19
Level 60
Apr 27, 2017
Turkey isn't considered to be a European country by anybody.
+19
Level 51
Apr 27, 2017
Turkey is a transcontinental country so it's both European and Asian...whether or not the quizmaker wanted to include them in this quiz was up to him/her
+2
Level 64
Aug 31, 2023
But it certainly is not "non-European". It's definitely in Europe, just also somewhere else.
+5
Level 53
Apr 27, 2017
I concur with Correde's opinion. Nobody considers Turkey an European country.
+1
Level 51
Jan 21, 2024
Speak for yourself, if it's a transcontinental country then it is technically semi-European and that is how I view them as well...go argue with the UN if you disagree XD
+15
Level 67
Jan 7, 2018
If you subscribe to purely cultural boundaries, then yes, Turkey is entirely Asian, but if you subscribe to geographic boundaries, then Turkey has land in both Asia and Europe, and, significantly, Istanbul is in Europe. "Continents" are terms of convenience and organization. Why is Panama considered North American while Colombia is South American? There's no real reason. So I think it's a mistake to categorize continents in absolute terms. Many people think part of Turkey is in Europe.
+2
Level 32
Jan 7, 2018
Only a small part of turkey, connected to Bulgaria is in Europe.
+4
Level 65
Feb 11, 2020
yes but that part has more population and has more land than some of the european countries
+3
Level 64
Aug 31, 2023
The European part is also the part where, you know, most of the tourists go. Which seems more than slightly relevant to this quiz.
+1
Level 60
Dec 5, 2022
There are also countries in Europe that you can’t even really see on a map, so that’s not saying much.
+1
Level 63
Apr 27, 2017
All 20 with 1:54 remaining....proud of myself!
+5
Level 84
Apr 27, 2017
I'm a bit skeptical about Turkey. Turkey qualifies because most of the country is in Asia, so all visitors to the country count, including the European part of Turkey. There's nothing that can be done about it -- I assume there are no statistics for people who went to Turkey but didn't go to Istanbul, for instance -- but it somehow doesn't feel right to include tourists who went to Europe in a quiz for tourists of non-European countries.
+2
Level 82
Apr 27, 2017
A very large percentage of Turkey's visitors go to Antalya. The rest mostly go to Istanbul with small numbers visiting Ankara and other cities. Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia. It would be unusual I think to only visit the European side... though that is where the airport and most of the tourist attractions are.
+5
Level 82
Apr 27, 2017
Antalya, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Trabzon, Hattusa, Alanya, Mersin, Konya... all in Asia.
+3
Level 71
Aug 15, 2021
What about Cappadocia and Pamukkale? Those are pretty big tourist attractions as well, and both on the Asian side
+5
Level ∞
Apr 27, 2017
@sumguy. Turkey definitely makes the list. They have 39.8 million tourists. I am 100% certain that at least 6.87 million of those tourists go to the Asian part.
+8
Level 71
May 7, 2019
Hmmm, but the Canary Islands receive on average 9 million tourists a year. Part of Spain but technically in Africa....
+2
Level 49
Apr 27, 2017
We should have a quiz with "Countries with Least Tourists per capita" or just "Countries with Least Tourists".
+2
Level 69
Apr 27, 2017
Go on then! You can do it, I know you can!
+1
Level 82
Aug 25, 2017
I think it's been done.
+2
Level 60
Apr 27, 2017
What?I missed Turkey just because it said outside of Europe. Turkey has some part IN Europe. Gotta fix that.
+1
Level 74
Apr 27, 2017
On the flip side, I guessed Russia since part of it is in Asia (just in case) and I guessed Turkey because it is in both Europe and Asia. I've gotten so many right throughout many questions just by typing the answers that I didn't think it could possibly be but wasn't getting the right answers otherwise.
+3
Level 60
Dec 5, 2022
Nobody is visiting the Asian part of Russia. You’d turn into a popsicle.
+3
Level 63
Sep 1, 2017
Not that again... Just ask yourself: Are there more Russian/Turkish people living on the Asian or the European side of the country? Tadaaa.
+2
Level 88
Apr 27, 2017
I got them all, but very surprised Israel isn't on the list.
+5
Level 75
Apr 27, 2017
Very surprised not one South American country made the list. Just curious where Brazil places? I assume Brazil has the most international visitors in South America.
+2
Level 36
Apr 29, 2017
In fact, Argentina has more! Only in 2014 and 2016 Brazil received more tourist because of the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. Argentina receives more over than a million people per year than Brazil.
+2
Level 75
Apr 30, 2017
Interesting. Where does Argentina rank overall?
+1
Level ∞
Aug 31, 2017
Brazil had more than Argentina in 2015 as well.
+1
Level 82
Aug 25, 2017
The major source countries for tourists include the USA, Canada, many countries in Western Europe, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Turkey, and some countries around the Persian Gulf. South America is just so far away from all of these countries. I think that's the major obstacle. Could also have something to do with out of control crime, but more likely it's just a question of geography.
+1
Level 58
Oct 10, 2023
Crime out of control? Countries like Argentina or Chile are arguably safer than the US.
+1
Level ∞
Aug 31, 2017
I updated the quiz to use new data. Brazil now appears.
+2
Level 72
Sep 1, 2017
Minor note, South Africa with 10.4m is listed below Morocco with 10.3m. Typo perhaps?
+1
Level 67
Dec 4, 2017
Either that or the numbers are with the wrong country.
+2
Level 62
Dec 21, 2017
South Africa's decimal point was accidentally moved. According to the source it should be 10.04 instead of 10.4. Morocco being at 10.3 and on top is correct
+2
Level ∞
Dec 21, 2017
Fixed
+3
Level 69
Jan 7, 2018
Brazil could receive so much more tourists, it's a shame :/
+1
Level 48
Jan 8, 2018
20/20 with 20 seconds left, Illuminate confirmed
+1
Level 48
Jan 8, 2018
Illuminati*
+2
Level 40
Jan 8, 2018
Live in the United States, forgot about United States until 0:05 remaining *facepalm*
+2
Level 22
Jan 21, 2018
What about Egypt?
+3
Level 69
Jan 25, 2018
I was surprised about that, too. Maybe it's only just fallen off the list in the last bunch of years due to civil unrest and government turnovers?
+3
Level 82
Aug 16, 2018
Egypt used to be the #1 tourist destination in Africa ahead of Morocco and South Africa but it still hasn't recovered from the hit its tourism industry took following the 2010 revolution and subsequent turmoil. Russia's ban of flights going there also didn't help. A very large percentage of the tourists visiting beach resorts on the Sinai were Russian.
+2
Level 82
Mar 12, 2018
Commenting on this topic for the second time today, but I feel something in the instructions should clearly exclude Turkey. I'm fine with it not being classed as a European country - 97% of its territory is outside Europe and 86% of its population - but it definitely caught me out. Especially given that a significant portion of those tourists would be visiting Istanbul - in Europe.
+1
Level 82
Aug 16, 2018
See comments above.
+1
Level 48
Apr 30, 2019
That was surprisingly easy
+2
Level 71
May 29, 2019
I can't read that source. How many does Israel get?
+2
Level 63
Jan 28, 2022
2,803 according to the source which you can't read for some reason
+1
Level 50
Feb 11, 2020
Taiwan’s not a country 😡😡😡😡
+4
Level 73
Feb 11, 2020
Why not?
+3
Level 66
Feb 11, 2020
Thanks Xi.
+8
Level 49
Feb 11, 2020
Ok Winnie Pooh
+3
Level 79
Sep 28, 2020
It's a de facto independent country.
+1
Level 67
Oct 12, 2021
On JetPunk it is.
+1
Level 73
Feb 11, 2020
Surprised not to see Peru on the list.... Machu Picchu etc.
+3
Level 26
Feb 11, 2020
Thank goodness Cyprus didn't qualify...
+1
Level 77
Feb 11, 2020
China numbers are skewed because they count people commuting from Hong Kong and Macao to mainland as tourists.

I'm pretty sure the US numbers do not include people flying from Puerto Rico to the continental states. Two weights and two measures?

+1
Level 82
Feb 11, 2020
and traveling from one EuroZone country to another also counts
+1
Level 79
Nov 4, 2020
Not in this quiz.
+1
Level 82
Oct 13, 2021
Pretty sure you are wrong, but, I don't feel like taking the time to read through the source linked above to find out if you actually are basing this on something or not, since most likely neither did you, and most likely I would have before leaving the first comment.
+2
Level 79
Nov 1, 2021
You can take your normal stance - namely that you are right and everyone else is wrong (and you have, again) - or you can pay attention to the rubric.

"Name the non-European countries that receive the most international tourists"

+1
Level 82
Mar 2, 2022
That is not and never has been my stance. Are you this angry, obnoxious, and unpleasant in real life, too? Is that what has led to you leading perhaps an empty, lonely existence, lashing out at strangers online almost constantly, as you have been doing, repeatedly, literally for years, presumably because I said something you disagreed with once or a couple of times 5-10 years ago?

I forgot that this quiz excluded European countries. Though the source it draws its data from does not, and does, of course, count traveling between them as international travel. Being "pretty sure" of something isn't the sort of thing a person says who believes they are always right and everyone else is always wrong.

I'm "pretty sure" that what I said about what led to this exchange (and literally dozens if not hundreds of others you have initiated around the site) is probably accurate. Please take some time to reconsider your life choices and reflect on if different ones could make you happier.

+1
Level 58
Jul 29, 2022
*michael jackson eating popcorn gif*
+1
Level 61
May 13, 2020
I'm puzzled that turkey is higher than mexico
+1
Level 21
Jul 12, 2023
Probably because Turkey is closer to a lot of first-world countries and all. Mexico has USA, but i get the idea the average yank would rather vacation on the UK, France Caribean and Canada rather than Mexico
+1
Level 59
Jul 22, 2020
I guessed every island nation in asia BUT Taiwan.
+1
Level 58
Oct 14, 2020
one of the 1% who forgot America, 17/20.
+1
Level 52
Aug 4, 2021
non-Europeans and non-South Americans cz there's no way that ksa is getting more tourists than brazil
+1
Level 76
Oct 12, 2021
I'm a criminal in 7 of these countries
+1
Level 59
Feb 19, 2023
I'll meet you in Japan.
+1
Level 45
Nov 30, 2021
where's north korea?
+6
Level 84
Dec 23, 2021
Between China and South Korea.
+1
Level 59
Feb 19, 2023
Pretty sure you DON'T want to go to North Korea. You may not get out . . .

Anyways, got them all!

+1
Level 44
Mar 7, 2022
just missed malaysia and singapore
+1
Level 48
Jul 27, 2022
Typed Seoul instead of South Korea
+1
Level 49
Aug 31, 2023
I missed 3 Asian countries.I typed north and south American countries thinking that I missed some
+1
Level 66
Dec 16, 2023
These numbers don't seem honest. Maybe a lot of this is people returning from working abroad.

Statista- Morocco tourist arrivals seem to be foreign Moroccans(?) at 65%, French nationals 13%, and Spain 2.7% - though I think this is post-Covid. Wiki doesn't list the numbers.. but says "[2016] 30% of the tourists were one of the 3.8 million Moroccans living abroad."

Statista: "2022, 2.2m inbound tourists to Saudi Arabia came from Bahrain, the origin country that sourced the highest number of tourists to Saudi Arabia. In contrast, inbound tourists from Iraq amounted to 0.5m people that year."

Indonesia- primarily Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, China, East timor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Indonesia

Thailand- China 10m, Malaysia 4.2m, India 2m, SK 1.9m, Laos, Jap, Rus, US, Singapore 1m

Japan- China 10m, ROK 5.6, Taiwan 4.9, Hong Kong 2.3, US 1.7, Thai 1.3, Aus 0.6

SA- Zimbabwe, Les, Moz, Esw

Probably not a good indicator of hidden gems for "tourists" in the true sense

+1
Level 55
Feb 11, 2024
What is your point exactly?