Mubasher: Spain is expected to replace the US as the world's second top tourism destination, according to the UN World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) preliminary analysis.

Initial figures suggested that Spain would rank the second as it attracted 82 million tourists in 2017, up from 76 million a year earlier, UNWTO chief Zurab Pololikashvili told reporters.

This significant growth comes despite August terror attack and the independence crisis in Catalonia, which includes two of the most popular tourism spots, namely Barcelona and Costa Brava beaches.

France maintained its leading position as the most popular tourism centre in the world.

However, confirmed statistics would be published in the spring, UNWTO said.

In 2016, both Spain and the US were jostling for the second place with the same number of tourists, but Spain’s tourists increased in 2017 to a new record high and edged out the US.

Overall, the number of international tourists grew 7% in 2017 to 1.3 billion, marking the largest rise since 2010. This data was backed by the 8% increase in European tourists, whose numbers exceeded forecasts.

The UNWTO also expected the international tourist numbers to jumb between 4% and 5% during 2018.