World's Top Tourism Destination
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If you were looking for fun and excitement, where would you want to travel? Would it be to smell African spices, European architecture, or South American rain forests that grab your attention? Would you even be able to choose between neighbouring countries which all seem the same from the other side of the world? Here are the world's top tourism destinations based on the World Tourism Organization: The most popular continent is Europe, and the most popular destination for world travelers looking for architecture, history and culture. The most frequently visited country is Italy, followed closely by France and the UK, with all three accounting for almost 18% of all visitors exploring the region, and followed by Spain and Germany to round out the top five. Africa is next, known for a blend of poverty and down to earth living with spices, culture and community strength. The most popular destination is, not surprisingly, Egypt, which alone garners 4% of all African interest, with South Africa, Rwanda, Morocco and Tunisia closely grouped together for the next most popular places to visit. The far eastern countries of Asia are next in line to garner tourists and visitors to see the societies that have grown with less of a Western influence. There is a strong top three grouping with China, Thailand and Japan the top destinations of choice, and Malaysia and Singapore not far behind. The Caribbean, with its combination of rich sun, surf and sand and cities with creole cooking and patois tongues, is next on the list of popular destinations. The Bahamas lead the way with more than 10% of visitors, and followed by both Aruba and the Dominican Republic, with Cuba’s popularity with Europeans and Canadian, and finally Jamaica. Oceania, home to some of the pirate stories that are taught to young children and the diverse marine life swimming next to untouched islets, has Australia as its most popular choice. Beating New Zealand for second is Fiji, with Palau and New Caledonia rounding out the top five destinations. A popular destination for ecotourists, South America has two strong destination countries. Brazil and Argentina combine for almost 25% of all tourists, trailed by Chile, Colombia and Venezuela, the three of which together combine for just over another 25% of visitors. The region next most popular with researchers is the Middle East, where politics and religion can make travelling more challenging, but worth the effort to see a rich ancient history. Afghanistan is beginning a revival of interest, followed by Pakistan and Israel, and then Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. North America, with only 5 main countries has a wide selection of modern architecture, ancient archaeology, frozen tundra and sunny beaches. The United States and Canada lead Mexico, with the often overlooked Bermuda coming closely before Greenland. The final region is Central America, surprising when considering the rich Mayan and Aztec history that infuses the modern way of life in many areas. El Salvador is the top destination, with over 20% of tourist interest, and Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras follow closely together, and Guatemala and Costa Rica tied for the final fifth position. Collecting every country together, we finally come down to our list of most popular destinations. A strong European bias can be seen with the first five of the top ten destinations dominated by Western European countries:
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