The Telegraph revealed the fastest growing destinations in the world, with a Middle Eastern country taking first place.
The British Telegraph recently published a comprehensive analysis of the latest tourism statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), revealing the fastest-growing travel destinations in the world. According to these figures, a Middle Eastern country is the destination with the greatest tourism growth globally, recording a 138% increase in visitors since 2019, while several surprise destinations feature in the top 10.
The destinations with the greatest tourism boom
As Time Out reports, Qatar, which found itself in the global spotlight after hosting the 2022 World Cup, has seen a 138% rise in visitors since 2019 - more than any other country in the world. Last year, over 5 million people visited Qatar, compared with 2.1 million in 2019. Despite summer temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius, tourists flock to the countrys many resorts, restaurants and museums, which, as the Telegraph notes, seem to «help visitors forget the high temperatures and the controversial human rights record».
In second place is Albania. The Balkan country, once considered an «underrated» destination for budget-friendly holidays, saw 11.2 million visitors in 2024 - an impressive 84% increase from 6 million five years ago. As Time Out notes, Albania has set a target of 20 million annual visitors by 2030.
The third fastest-growing travel destination is El Salvador, the Central American country once known as «the murder capital» of the world. That reputation is now outdated and over the past decade the country has drastically reduced its homicide rate - from 106 to 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. Since 2019, El Salvador has recorded an 80% rise in visitors, with 3.2 million people visiting in 2024.
See below the full list of the 10 fastest-growing travel destinations in the world (in parentheses the increase in visitors since 2019):
Qatar (138%)
Albania (84%)
El Salvador (80%)
Puerto Rico (75%)
Bahrain (72%)
Saudi Arabia (70%)
Colombia (58%)
Curaçao (50,86%)
Turks and Caicos Islands (50,72%)
Tanzania (48%)
