The World's Most Popular Tourist Destinations

2017 was a massive year for travel, with global tourist arrivals growing 6.8 percent to reach 1.32 billion, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) 2018 Tourism Highlights Report. These are the 10 destinations that attracted the most visitors.

France remains the world's top tourist destination for another year, recording an impressive 86.9 million international arrivals in 2017, a 5.1 percent jump from the previous year.

Spain could soon be closing in on France for the top spot as international tourist arrivals to the destination are up 8.6 percent to 81.8 million in 2017. Spain also experienced a more than 10 percent rise in international tourism receipts, placing it second in both metrics.

The U.S. saw a nearly 4 percent decrease in international tourist arrivals in 2017, dropping one spot from the previous year with 75.9 million. Despite the decline, the U.S. led the way last year in terms of the amount international inbound visitors spent at $210.7 billion.

There's a significant dropoff after the top three countries, with China attracting 60.7 million tourists a year ago. The figure represents modest growth of only 2.5 percent. The country also fell from fifth to 12th place in terms of international tourism receipts because of a revision in methodology.

Italy isn't far behind China to round out the top five. The European hotspot welcomed 58.3 million international tourists in 2017. The 11.2 percent jump in arrivals makes it the fastest growing destination in the top five.

Mexico continues to gain momentum as a premier tourist destination, climbing two spots despite some troublesome false reporting. It ranks sixth with 39.3 million visitors in 2017 but still has ways to go to break into the top five.

The U.K. matched France with 5.1 percent growth last year. The destination hosted 37.7 million international tourists in 2017 but dropped to seventh after being surpassed by Mexico.

While it hosted fewer than half as many tourists as France last year, Turkey experienced more growth than any other country in the top 10. International tourist arrivals in Turkey rose an incredible 24.1 percent to 37.6 million in 2017.

Germany was surpassed by Mexico and Turkey in 2017 as the destination matched France and the U.K. with 5.2 percent growth in international arrivals, clocking in at 37.5 million.

Thailand is the second Asian representative in the top 10 behind China, hosting 35.4 million international visitors last year. The 8.6 percent change ties Spain for the fourth-highest of any country in the top 10.