Overview
- Fodor’s cites a 2025 surge with about 7.8 million arrivals and more than 27 million airport passengers in the first half of the year, a roughly 5% rise.
- Tourism accounts for more than a third of the archipelago’s GDP and employs about 40% of residents, underscoring the economic stakes.
- Reported pressures include traffic congestion, rising rents, environmental damage and water scarcity, which experts warn are worsened by a warming climate.
- Resident anger over mass tourism boiled over into protests in 2024, and a Tenerife environmental group warns of housing access problems, biodiversity loss and erosion of local identity.
- Other 2026 entries include Antarctica, Glacier National Park, Isola Sacra, the Jungfrau Region, Mexico City, Mombasa and Montmartre, while Barcelona and Majorca are not on this year’s list.