Japan Leads the World in Tourism.. Qatar and Morocco Among Fastest-Advancing Countries

Japan has taken another leap forward on the global tourism map, topping the 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index released by the World Economic Forum, surpassing the United States, Spain, Australia, and France.

The index covers 110 economies and measures the environment that helps the tourism sector grow sustainably and resiliently, rather than focusing solely on tourist numbers.

This top ranking follows a record year in which Japan welcomed approximately 42.68 million foreign visitors in 2025, a 15.8% increase over the previous year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

In the list of economies showing the fastest improvement between 2024 and 2026, Albania came first, while Qatar ranked fourth and Morocco eighth, according to Euronews.

The Forum noted that 92% of the covered economies improved their results since 2024. Meanwhile, the world recorded around 1.5 billion international tourist trips in 2025. However, rising travel costs pose an increasing challenge, as price competitiveness has declined in about three-quarters of the economies covered by the index.