Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Egypt top list of fastest-growing countries for tourism – here’s the full ranking

Fancy guessing which countries have seen the biggest tourism boom since 2019? New data from the OECD’s Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report has ranked the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations, based on international arrivals between 2019 and 2025.

Who’s leading the post-pandemic travel boom? 

Saudi Arabia leads the pack, with a 67 percent jump in international arrivals since 2019. The boom is thanks to Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s push to diversify its economy away from oil –which has meant easier tourist visas, a dramatic expansion in airline capacity and serious money poured into cultural attractions and entertainment. If you’ve seen AlUla’s mirrored Maraya building or its sandstone Hegra tombs all over your Instagram feed lately, this is why.

Morocco and Egypt aren’t far behind, both riding a wider North Africa boom built on improved air connectivity and expanded airport capacity. Over in South America, Brazil, Colombia and Chile have all comfortably overtaken their pre-pandemic visitor numbers too. 

Europe’s picture is more of a steady climb than an explosion, but there are some proper standouts. Norway is up 28 percent, Serbia 27 percent, Denmark 22 percent, Portugal 20 percent and Spain 16 percent, all comfortably outpacing their pre-pandemic visitor numbers. France and Greece have also edged past their 2019 totals, just less dramatically. Japan also cracks the global top six, sitting just behind Colombia and just ahead of Chile, though anyone who’s followed the headlines about the weak yen driving record visitor numbers won't be too shocked by that one. 

The fastest-growing tourist destinations since 2019

1. Saudi Arabia – +67 percent
2. Morocco – +53 percent
3. Egypt – +47 percent
4. Brazil – +46 percent
5. Colombia – +45 percent
6. Japan – +34 percent
7. Chile – +33 percent
8. Norway – +28 percent
9. Serbia – +27 percent
10. Denmark – +22 percent
11. Türkiye – +21 percent
12. Portugal – +20 percent
13. Luxembourg – +19 percent
14. Slovenia – +16 percent
15. Spain – +16 percent
16. Iceland – +14 percent
17. France – +12 percent
18. Greece – +11 percent
19. Netherlands – +11 percent
20. Sweden – +11 percent

Thinking of joining the rush? Here's Time Out’s roundup of the world’s greatest places to visit in 2026.

Plus: These are the trending islands to visit in 2026.

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