Chinese nationals ranked first for having the highest international tourism expenditure in 2018 with about €262 billion spent in this country, followed by Americans with €119 billion and Germans with €91 million, according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), according to EU Helpers.
The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates round out the list of nations with the highest outbound tourism expenditure figures for 2018, when it was predicted that the tourism industry would reach record highs and record spending would be made in this sector, with expenditure levels of €80 and 66 billion, respectively.
France, Australia, and South Korea had greater expenditure levels, spending between €40 and €33 billion in 2018. The combined expenditures of Canada and Russia were €32 billion.
By the end of 2019, Chinese nationals accounted for the highest amount of spending—$154 billion—followed by Americans ($49 billion) and Germans ($46 billion).
Similar to the UK and France, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates spent over €17 billion each while the UK spent about €32 billion. Spending fell to €15 billion for Canadians, followed by €12 billion on tourism for Indians and €15 billion for Italians.
However, in 2020, the expenditure in these nations stayed in place, with China, the United States, and Germany having the greatest expenditures. In contrast to the prior years, the figures drastically decreased, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as one of the contributing factors.
More specifically, during this time, German tourists spent about €48 billion, Americans spent €52 billion, and Chinese tourists spent €106 billion. Similar declines in spending were seen in the UK ($27 billion), the UAE ($19 billion), South Korea ($16 billion), and Italy ($13 billion). In addition, spending ranged from €12 to €8 billion in India, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the countries with the highest annual expenditure levels.
China has dropped off the list of nations with the biggest international tourism expenditures between 2021 and 2022. With expenditure levels of €110 billion, the US now leads the list, followed by Germany (€85 billion), and Italy, with €23 billion, moves up to third place. With a spending level of €19 billion, Canada came in fourth on the list, behind Spain ($18 billion), South Korea ($17 billion), and Saudi Arabia ($13 billion).
The top three countries with the highest expenditure levels between 2021 and 2022 were Australia, Qatar, and Brazil, spending between €11 and €9 billion.