Asia drives rise in 2016 world tourism numbers: UN
Europe remained the most visited region in the world, with 620 million tourists, the World Tourism Organization said. PHOTO: AFP
The number of international tourists rose by four percent worldwide to 1.2 billion in 2016 as Asians travelled more, but security fears hit visitor arrivals in Europe, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) said on Tuesday.
The number of people living in Asia and discovering both their own region and the rest of the world rose eight percent compared to 2015, the Madrid-based body said.
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The Asia-Pacific area, meanwhile, proved a popular destination - the second most visited region after Europe.
But the UN body cautioned that while still blessed with 620 million tourists last year, the growth in the number of visitors to Europe had slowed due to security concerns.
WTO chief Taleb Rifai told reporters the results in Europe varied widely from one country to the next.
He refused to give a much-anticipated ranking of the most visited countries, saying this would be unveiled later.
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In 2015, France ranked number one, followed by the United States and Spain.