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The Top 10 Countries Whose Citizens Spend the Most Abroad

There's no denying that COVID-19 disrupted tourism as a whole. In fact, two industries that feed directly into tourism are among the five most affected by the pandemic, including the airline and hotels industry, as well as the restaurants and leisure industry. Traveling beyond borders remained challenging even as COVID-19 restrictions started lifting globally, and we've yet to see tourism numbers return to their pre-pandemic state. 

The good news is that international travel has rebounded every year since the pandemic. In fact, global outbound travel grew by 33% in 2023, which is just 12% shy of the pre-pandemic figures — with outbound travel in Asia growing by 140% and North American outbound travel increasing by 31%. 

While China was the biggest spender in 2023, the U.S. had the most outbound travelers. The numbers might not still be what they were before the pandemic, but these numbers are slowly changing due to a number of factors affecting tourism post-pandemic, including: 

  • The lifting of travel restrictions 
  • Investments by governments into travel and tourism in their respective countries 
  • Improved economic conditions 

That said, the cost of travel has also increased due to factors such as supply chain challenges, workforce disruptions, higher demand, and rising fuel costs. 

Let's take a closer look at how much outbound travelers spent in 2023 and the top 10 countries these travelers are from. 

1. China

$196.5 billion USD 

Travel to and from China has increased rapidly since the pandemic. According to an official at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), there were 5,493 scheduled international flight pairs, which signifies departure and arrival flights on a flight itinerary, from May 6 to May 12, 2024, which represents 73% of the pre-COVID levels

With many of its travel restrictions lifted on January 8, 2023, there has also been a significant uptick in outbound travel from China. Some airlines have shown flight plans almost back to pre-pandemic levels, while others have surpassed it. 

  • China Southern launched 13 direct routes and has recovered up to 80% of its pre-pandemic level.
  • Air China has 108 overseas routes with European inputs higher than 2019.
  • China Eastern Airlines and its subsidiaries Shanghai Airlines, China United Airlines, and OTT Airlines have 1,240 overseas flights per week, which is 90.8% of the pre-pandemic levels. 

Statistics reveal that 87 million people from China traveled abroad in 2023. According to research, Chinese citizens are predicted to spend over $400 billion by 2033, signifying a growth rate of almost 131%. When compared to the $165 billion spent in 2013, this reveals a healthy upward trajectory. 

Chinese travelers spend a large portion of their money on shopping (21%), accommodation (19%) and dining (19%). On short trips, Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan are the favorite destinations. Other favorite destinations include the U.S., New Zealand, and Canada. 

2. United States of America 

$150 billion USD

U.S. outbound tourism reached a peak in 2019 with 99.74 million overseas travelers. This dropped dramatically to 33.5 million when COVID-19 restrictions took place. However, in 2023, the figures jumped back to 98.71% of the 2019 travel figures to 99.46 million travelers.

While the number of travelers has not reached the peak, the spending has. The $150 billion figure surpasses pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, the figure was $132 billion, which dropped to $33.7 billion in 2020. U.S. citizens favored Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe during their international travels. 

A survey reveals that Americans anticipate spending $2,905 on average per international trip, and they're willing to spend their money on: 

  • Dining (57%)
  • Experiences (47%)
  • Lodging (41%)
  • Live entertainment (35%) 
  • Cultural activities (30%)
  • Shopping (24%)
  • Transportation (10%)

3. Germany 

$111.9 billion USD 

Germany has surpassed its pre-pandemic outbound travel spend of $93.2 billion in 2019, soaring to $111.9 billion in 2023. Its tourism market is predicted to grow to $241.4 billion by 2032 and considering more than a third of the population rates vacations as important, these figures seem reasonable. 

Popular destinations include Greece, which received 34% of German travelers, and France, which accounted for 31%.

The average travel expenditure for Germans saw some slight fluctuations in the last decade, prior to the pandemic, with highs recorded in 2017 and 2019 and lows in 2013 and 2020.

4. United Kingdom

110.3 billion USD 

The U.K. increased its travel spend from $86 billion in 2019 to $110.3 billion in 2023. Spain was the most popular destination for British travelers, which received nearly 18 million visitors from the U.K. Research shows that the average spend on trips to Spain was £1,151 (or an average of £166 per day), and the average stay was for 6.9 nights. 

The closest competitor was France, which hosted just over nine million U.K. outbound travelers. Other popular destinations include Greece, Portugal, the United States, the Republic of Ireland, and Turkey.

5. France

$49 billion USD

France is still the European destination of choice, reaching 100 million visitors in 2023. France's diverse regions and close proximity to other European hotspots make it a sought-after travel destination.  

While it might be a hot destination, the French do a fair amount of traveling, too. Favorite destinations for the French include Spain, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, the U.S., Algeria, and Greece. The French travel spend figures experienced big fluctuations in the last ten years, even before the pandemic, reaching highs in 2014 ($48.76 billion), 2018 ($49.58 billion), and 2019 ($50.54 billion). Some lows were recorded in 2015 ($39.53 billion) and 2016 ($40.38 billion), around the time of the Paris terrorist attacks. 

6. Canada

$38.3 billion USD 

Canadian travel to the U.S. reached 94.8% of its pre-pandemic levels and 99.6% of its overseas travel levels. And Canadians like to spend during their travels. In 2019, the outbound expenditure recorded for Canadians was $35.4 billion, which plummeted to $12.1 billion in 2020 and then increased to $38.3 billion in 2023.  

While Canadians are looking to spend more on dream vacations such as cruises and bucket list trips, they're willing to follow travel hacks to help them save on some of the expenses. 

7. Italy

$34.2 billion USD

Italy's travel spend has surpassed its pre-pandemic levels of $30.3 billion. In 2020, this figure dipped sharply to $9.6 billion.

While Italy might be a popular destination for travelers, Italians also like to wander beyond their borders, with 14% of travel happening outside of Italy but within the EU.

The busiest period for Italian outbound travel is during August. In 2019, 7.9 million Italians traveled abroad, but in 2020, this figure barely reached 2.7 million. However, in August 2023, outbound travel jumped to 6.9 million, which is roughly 87% of the 2019 total. 

Outbound travel spend saw a steady rise from 2014 through 2019, and for Italians, Spain was the destination of choice, where Italians spent $3.351 billion

8. India

$33.3 billion USD 

When it comes to travel in Asia, India tops the charts as the biggest spender. In 2019, Indian travelers accounted for $22.9 billion of outbound travel spend, which has since grown to $33.3 billion. Spending dropped by more than $10 billion during 2020, but slowly climbed up again as travel restrictions eased up. 

In 2022, India's outbound travel market surpassed even China and South Korea. The outbound tourist market in India has an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) rise of 11.4% between 2022 and 2032. An increase in income and lifestyle opportunities contribute to the rising demand for travel, cementing India as one of the biggest contributors to outbound travel globally. 

The United Arab Emirates remains a top destination for Indian travelers, with 5.89 million people flocking there. Saudi Arabia received 2.42 million Indian travelers, while the U.S. received 1.68 million. Other destinations that topped the list for Indians include Singapore, Thailand, the U.K., Qatar, and Kuwait. 

According to research, India's outbound travel has the potential to grow from 13 million trips in 2022 to over 80 million trips in 2040. 

9. Russian Federation 

$33 billion USD 

An estimated 14 million Russian tourists made trips to areas outside post-Soviet countries in 2023. Some of the destinations that topped the list include Turkey, which saw a 20.7% increase from 2022, UAE, which is up 42.5%, and Thailand with an increase of 240.6%. Other destinations favored by Russians include Abkhazia (+13%), Egypt (+35.4%), and China (+420%). 

Travel is slowly increasing compared to pre-pandemic levels and by the end of 2023, Russian outbound travel was estimated to reach between 86% and 89% of its pre-pandemic levels. According to Alexander Osaulenko, Director of the Association of Tour Operators, this growth is remarkable considering the ruble exchange rate and inflation levels. 

Russian outbound travel spending rose to $33 billion in 2023, which is slightly down from pre-pandemic spending in 2019 at $36.2 billion. Spending dove sharply in 2020 to $9.1 billion, but more than doubled to $20.8 billion in 2022. Outbound travel spend for Russians peaked in 2013 ($53.5 billion) and 2014 ($50.4 billion), yet dropped due to geopolitical and economical factors. 

10. Republic of Korea 

$27.8 billion USD 

2023 was a year of outbound travel recovery for South Korea, which saw steady travel figures throughout, peaking in July with 2.15 million travelers and December with 2.42 million travelers. Overall, over the last decade, outbound travel saw peaks in 2010 (31.5% year-on-year) and 2015 (20.1%). 

The destination of choice in 2023 was Japan, which received 6.9 million South Korean travelers. Vietnam followed with 3.95 million visitors, Thailand with 1.66 million, and the U.S. with 1.6 million. Other countries that topped the travel list included the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Spain, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. 

South Koreans also account for significant outbound travel spending, reaching 27.8 billion in 2023. For Koreans, a gastronomical experience tops the list when deciding where to spend their money while traveling, with 44% of the travel budgets going toward gastronomical holidays. 

A steady rise in outbound travel 

2023 saw a significant increase in outbound travel with the largest outbound travel regions citing double-digit growth. Growth from 2022 to 2023 was a stellar 33%, albeit still 12% short of the pre-pandemic figures. The steady rise also earmarks an era of growth in terms of international travel, with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasting that tourism will contribute $16 trillion to the global economy by 2034. As for 2024, the WTTC predicts a record-breaking year based on the healthy travel spending in 2023.