As the barometer of world tourism, the latest report issued by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, "The UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2018 Edition" has just been released.

According to the report, overall international tourist arrivals grew by 6.8 percent to 1.32 billion in 2017, the highest increase since 2009 and some 84 million more than in 2016, fueled by a rapid global economic upswing. 

The report also showed that spending on international tourism totaled US$1.34 trillion in 2017 owing to strong outbound demand from both traditional and emerging markets. 

By region, the growth rate of Africa and Europe on international tourist arrivals reached 8.6 and 8.3 percent respectively, above the world average of 6.8 percent.

Countries in Europe were the most popular destinations last year, with arrivals reaching some 671 million. Tourism spending also grew notably in Europe, rising by 8 percent.

The following are the top 10 global tourism destinations with most international arrivals in 2017:

10. Thailand

Arrivals: 35.4 million

Rank in 2016: 9

Change, 2017: +8.6 percent