Spain expected to overtake France in travel by 2040

France hasn’t been winning in the best ways as of late. As political issues continue to impact the country, it looks like it is taking another loss, this time in the form of the travel industry. According to a report from Google and Deloitte, Spain is set to outpace France in annual travelers if trends hold up. 

The report titled “NextGen Travelers and Destinations” looks at the areas around the world that are expected to see travel influxes based on search and other interest data. Using that information, the report predicts that Spain is expected to see 110 million annual visitors by 2040. This would be a 24 percent increase compared to the 84 million that visited the country in 2023. 

As the travel industry continues to experience a major boom, Spain is reaping benefits of that growth. According to current numbers, 6.3 million travelers visited the country this year, which is a 21 percent increase from the previous year. Tourist spending is also on the rise, growing nearly 30 percent in that same time frame. 

Spain boasts several cities that feature beautiful weather and historic attractions, making it an understandable destination for travelers. This comes at a time when both cities continue to make investments in their local travel industries. 

The report also predicts that European countries will see the largest increase in travel, with the Middle East coming in second. Interestingly enough, countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are expected to grow as well, entering into the top 15 of countries visited. 

The travel industry continues to boast about major gains and bouncing back from the COVID-19 global pandemic. Seeing these numbers come to fruition includes seeing growth in ways around the world, including new countries jumping to the top of the most traveled list.