When you think of trends, you might think of clothes or pop culture, but travel destinations go in and out of fashion too. It’s why everyone you know suddenly started booking holidays to Albania or Marseille, and why some ever-cool places like Amsterdam are struggling after years of overtourism.
Right now, everything from slow travel to coolcations are trending, but there are a few spots in particular that are benefiting from recent tourism booms. The Telegraph has just dropped an in-depth analysis of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO)’s latest global tourism stats to figure out where everyone’s going right now – and it looks like one Middle Eastern nation is travel’s new It Girl.
Qatar sees the biggest tourism boom
Qatar, which was thrust into the international spotlight after it hosted the 2022 World Cup, has seen a 138 percent increase in tourists since 2019 – more than any other country in the world. Last year, more than 5 million people visited the desert nation, compared to 2.1 million back in 2019.
Despite temperatures hitting an unbearable 43C in the summer, visitors have been flocking to the country’s many resorts, restaurants and museums, which, the Telegraph notes, seem to be ‘helping people overlook the sweltering temperatures and questionable human rights record’.
Albania and El Salvador rise up the ranks
In second place was Albania. What was once an underground budget holiday spot saw 11.2 million visitors in 2024, which is an 84 percent increase from 6 million five years ago. The Balkan nation wants to reach 20 million annual travellers and holidaymakers by 2030, and if it continues on its current trajectory, it will get to that number with time to spare.
The third fastest growing travel destination was the Central American nation of El Salvador, which was previously known as the murder capital of the world. That reputation is out of date, and in the past decade the nation has reduced its rates of murders per 100,000 people from 106 to 1.9. That’s a pretty steep drop off.
Like a see-saw, as its murder rates rapidly decrease, its tourism rates have shot up. Since 2019, it has seen an 80 percent jump in visitors, with 3.2 million people visiting the country in 2024.
Those aren’t the only places whose tourism industries have drastically grown in the past few years. Read on for the 10 fastest growing travel destinations in the world, including the percentage increase of visitors since 2019.
The world’s fastest-growing travel destinations
- Qatar – 138 percent
- Albania – 84 percent
- El Salvador – 80 percent
- Puerto Rico – 75 percent
- Bahrain – 72 percent
- Saudi Arabia – 70 percent
- Colombia – 58 percent
- Curacao – 51 (50.86) percent
- Turks and Caicos Islands – 51 (50.72) percent
- Tanzania – 48 percent
Have a read the Telegraph’s full list of the 30 fastest growing destinations for details on the top 10 and beyond.
Plan your Qatari break
We’ve got loads of information on Doha, Qatar’s capital, that you’ll need if you’re planning a trip. Try out one of the most Instagrammable cafés or one of our top-rated brunches, visit one of of the city’s beaches or parks, or pick one of the best things to do in Doha this September.
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