Spain set to replace France as world’s top travel destination by 2040

Spain is reportedly on track to become the world’s most-visited destination, with 110 million visitors annually.

France’s picturesque scenery, charm and elegant gastronomy are just some of the things that make it easy to see why, for several years, people visited it more than other any other country on the planet. It offers travellers so much.

It turns out its neighbours offer plenty too.

Google and Deloitte’s new research, titled NextGen Travellers and Destinations, looks into the tourism industry’s development trajectory through 2040.

The report finds Spain is on track to become the world’s most-visited destination, with 110 million visitors annually – an increase of more than 24% from last year’s figures.

Data from the Spanish Statistical Office - Instituto Nacional de Estadistica revealed the nation is already receiving record-breaking numbers of international tourists.

France is expected to hold the top spot in 2025 but it will eventually be dethroned to second place. The United States and China will remain in third and fourth place respectively and Mexico will push Italy down to sixth place as it moves into fifth.

The report also finds four key regions – the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Novel Middle East, and the Caribbean – will be the focus for 45% of global travellers.

The total number of trips taken worldwide is expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2040, almost 64% more than 2019 figures. According to the research, this increase would be a result of a growing middle class.

The industry’s recovery levels also reached 88% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, the report notes “this resurgence presents a significant disparity between different regions of the world: while Europe, North America, and South America have achieved levels above the pre-pandemic situation, this improvement is notably affected by the stagnation experienced in the Asia-Pacific region”.