Costa Rica is surprising. I wonder if this includes data from the territories, which is the only way I see the Dominican Republic being on here, since it's a very popular tourist destination for Puerto Ricans.
Not surprised by Costa Rica at all. It is far safer, cleaner, more stable and prosperous than other Central American countries. It has a thriving ecotourism industry as mentioned, it's rainforest being a major tourist attraction, and it's also a huge sex tourist destination. The Dominican Republic is also a big destination for sex tourism. As mentioned there are also a lot of Dominicans living in the United States who return from time to time; finally, DR is a frequent stop for Caribbean cruise ships.
Just returned from Costa Rica and was told by locals they believe the influx of tourism in CR by Americans/States is due to the relative unsafe or perceived unsafe conditions currently in Mexico.
While Costa Rica is safer than most countries in Central America, it still has a murder rate that is more than double that of the United States. The roads are unsafe, and pedestrians are not given the right of way. Theft is common and tourists are often targeted. My parents had $500 taken from their hotel safe. That said, it's a beautiful country, and you should definitely visit. But be aware that it's not a part of the first world.
Murder rate more than double that of the USA, but still less than a quarter that of El Salvador's... though, looking up the figures just now I was surprised to see that Nicaragua's rate of homicide is significantly lower than Costa Rica's. I guess CR is not the safest country in Central America after all. But close.
That's because you probably live in a hideous slum and are poor as hell so you can't afford visiting the gorgeous (and safe enough) places that people from other countries come to see!
All of these are nice places to visit - I've spent more time in the Philippines than anywhere that I haven't had full-time employment before - but also what Djilas said. All have huge numbers of expats living in the US, and often their descendants.
DR and Costa Rica are popular tourist destinations for Canadians too - cheaper than home and relatively safer than other nearby countries make both attractive.
I'd say those numbers are included to Italy because you have to go through Italy to get there and there's just a security check but no check for a passort whatsoever.
I’d imagine that in the event Tom Hanks has to be brought in to help find an Illuminati terrorist, entry into the Vatican might be more security-heavy.
Of course I forget Jamaica after trying nearly all of the Caribbean/Central American countries... and I was also considering Israel in the last five seconds but pushed it aside haha whoops
You know, there are different kinds of tourism. Leisure, religion, health, business. In that matter, the latter should include countries invaded by US Armies as business affairs. Iraq should be on the top of the list...
Invading armies, international business persons or workers whose jobs require international travel, refugees and religious pilgrims are not tourists and shouldn't be classified as such.
They probably got scared away by that one scene in Fast & Furious where the police were unable to continue their arrest of Vin Diesel on account of everyone in Brazil being strapped, which I assume is every bit as realistic as a Dodge Charger being able to rip an enormous bank safe out of the building it was cemented in to and then go racing down the street dragging it along like it wasn't there.
That's not the reason why they don't come to Brazil, it's because Americans needed a visa until recently. A lot of Europeans come to Brazil, specially Rio and the northeast
Because they're cheaper and shorter flights, they're cheaper to stay in, they have more distinct cultures, and people are a lot more likely to have family there?
The biggest one for me is the distinct cultures. If you are traveling because you want to have new experiences, Taiwan and the Philippines are much more interesting. Australia is beautiful and a great place to visit, I lived there for a year. But culturally it felt just like home (Canada).
Because there are a lot more Filipinos living in the U.S. who return home for visits than there are Australians who do the same. But I suppose another way to answer this question would be - why wouldn't a person go to the Philippines or Taiwan over Australia? Is Australia better to visit? Just better in general?
I've been to Taiwan once and the Philippines about 10 times and never been to Australia before. I can think of lots of reasons to go to the Philippines instead of Australia. The two biggest are probably that the Philippines is super cheap and Australia is super expensive, and while the Philippines is likely far and away hands down the easiest place in the world to meet girls (and I've been to Thailand and Russia), I imagine that Australia is quite similar to the US or Canada: not easy at all.
More minor reasons would be that Filipinos are super friendly and open (I know Australians have a similar reputation but Filipinos edge them out IMO), Boracay, Palawan, a more unique cultural experience from the perspective of most Westerners, and... uh... after that reasons start running a bit thin. Mostly the price and the girls.
Australia was expensive a few years ago when our dollar was at parity with the USD, but current exchange rates hardly justify the complaint about cost.
compared to the Philippines, though? I once stayed at a hotel there for $3. You can get flights from any island to any other island for under $15 if you book in advance. You can get an hour long full-body oil massage for $2.20. Jeepney ride (urban public transit) costs literally 14 cents. Prices for food, women, and entertainment are almost as low, too. I'm sure that Australia is not that cheap.
There are a lot of Koreans in the US but not as many Koreans as there are Chinese, Indians, and Filipinos. This counts for something but not everything. Actually there are fewer immigrants in the US from Korea than there are from El Salvador, Vietnam, or Cuba, as well, and none of those countries make the cut.
Amsterdam city gets loads of American tourists. Many American tourists in Europe go city hopping by plane. They visit Barcelona, Rome, Paris, London, and Amsterdam in the span of two weeks.
I can't see how European countries can be accurately calculated, because once you arrive in an EU country like France, you can drive from one country to another without customs checks. Therefore countries you drive to, after flying into your first one, won't be counted. How many of the 4.36 million Italian visitors went to Vatican City (no customs checks there either)?
Wonder what the numbers for Vatican City are.
More minor reasons would be that Filipinos are super friendly and open (I know Australians have a similar reputation but Filipinos edge them out IMO), Boracay, Palawan, a more unique cultural experience from the perspective of most Westerners, and... uh... after that reasons start running a bit thin. Mostly the price and the girls.