Arrivals of foreign tourists in Europe climbed dramatically in 2022 compared to the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, although they were still below pre-pandemic levels, according to Statista.

With 71.66 million foreign visitors, Spain came in second to France, followed by Italy and Turkey (50.45 million and 49.81 million, respectively) in 2022.

In the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), which assesses factors that influence the long-term success and adaptability of the global travel and tourism sector, France and Spain remained among the most popular travel destinations and notable leaders.

Spain continued to hold the top spot in 2022 with a TTDI score of 5.2, closely followed by France and Germany.

Free, the analyst, went on to say that it is anticipated that France and Spain will continue to be popular in the years to come thanks to a variety of festivities, events, and gastronomic opportunities that will draw travelers.

Following Western Europe with 168.9 million arrivals, Central and Eastern Europe with 90.8 million, Northern Europe with 70 million, and Southern and Mediterranean European countries with 265.1 million arrivals, according to a breakdown of inbound arrivals in Europe by subregion.

In fifth place, the United Kingdom welcomed 30.74 million visitors in 2022, a huge rise from 6.3 million in 2021 but still less than the 39.4 million it had at the time of the epidemic.

With 30.74 million tourists, the United Kingdom, which came in fifth place, experienced a significant increase in tourist numbers in 2022. Although it remained below the pre-pandemic average of 39.4 million visitors, this number signified a significant improvement over the 6.3 million travelers in 2021.

Germany came in second with 28.46 million, followed by Greece with 27.84 million, Austria with 26.21 million, Portugal with 22.25 million, and the Netherlands with 16.07 million to complete out the top 10.

Europe continued to be the world's leading destination for international inbound tourist arrivals both before and after the health crisis, expecting about 595 million visitors in 2022.