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European countries have dominated the World Economic Forum’s list of the world’s top tourism hotspots.
In September, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), which analyses the factors contributing to tourism development by country.
The index ranked destinations across five categories: enabling environment, policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure and services, resources and sustainability.
Japan topped the list, which was first launched in 2007, with the United States in second place and Spain in third.
The East Asian country rose two places from its 2024 position for its “strategies to diversify both its visitor markets and its destinations”, said WEF.
Cara Morton, chief executive officer of Zurich Insurance Group, a collaborator on the index, said: “Japan’s rise to the top of this year’s rankings reflects more than visitor appeal. It demonstrates how strong foundations and effective destination management can turn travel and tourism activity into long-term advantage.”
Six of the top 10 tourism hotspots – Spain, France, Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Italy – were countries in Europe, the highest overall performing region.
Australia and China also placed at the top of the 110-country list, both improving faster than the overall index average.
The same economies occupied the top 10 positions as in 2024, although their ranking order has changed.
Generally, 92 per cent of the ranked economies improved their TTDI score, with tourism development conditions at their strongest since the pandemic.
There was a record 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals in 2025, up five per cent on 2024, said the WEF.
It added that Albania was the most improved economy overall between 2024 and 2026, with emerging tourism economies in Asia-Pacific also gaining ground.
According to the WEF: “Recent events, including disruptions to international aviation networks following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the heatwaves and wildfires in Europe and North America, illustrate how quickly tourism systems can come under pressure.
“What singles out successful destinations is not only the strength of their tourism assets, but their ability to adapt and continue functioning during times of uncertainty.”
Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026 overall rankings
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