Spain: most visited tourist destination in 2040 with 110 million arrivals

14-06-24

Spain will be positioned as the most visited tourist destination in the world in 2040, receiving a total of 110 million arrivals. This forecast comes from the "Travelers and NextGen Destinations" report, jointly prepared by Deloitte and Google. According to the study, Spain will be closely followed by France, with 105 million arrivals, and the United States, with 100 million.

The report analyzes the evolution of the travel industry since 1990 and projects its trends up to 2040. According to its estimates, the number of global trips will reach 2.4 billion by 2040, representing an increase of 63.9% compared to the figures recorded in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This significant increase in travel is attributed, in large part, to the growth of the middle classes globally. According to the report, travelers from Europe and Asia-Pacific will account for more than 70% of total travel. The main tourist sending countries will be, as in 2019, China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, with the addition of India as a new relevant player in the global tourism landscape.

In terms of tourist arrivals, Europe and Asia-Pacific will stand out, concentrating 47% and 27% of arrivals, respectively. This translates into 1.12 billion travelers in Europe and 640 million in Asia-Pacific by 2040. The top five countries in terms of traveler arrivals will be Spain, France, the United States, China and Mexico, together accounting for 20% of total global arrivals.

The study also highlights that 45% of global travelers will be concentrated in four main tourist destinations: the Mediterranean (480 million), Southeast Asia (255 million), the New Middle East (175 million) and the Caribbean (145 million).

This exponential growth not only reflects the post-pandemic recovery of the tourism sector, but also the transformation of the industry driven by new consumer trends and traveler preferences, as well as the development of favorable infrastructure and policies in key destinations.