Despite a turbulent year rocked by terrorist attacks and Brexit, travellers were apparently undeterred from visiting Europe, where international tourist arrivals spiked 4 percent to reach nearly half a billion visitors in 2016.
That's according to the latest statistics from the UN World Tourism Organisation, which released the preliminary results of their "European Union Short-Term Tourism Trends" report.
In 2016, international tourism growth in Europe exceeded the global average growth rate, with the addition of 21 million more visitors to the EU's 28 member countries, to scratch the half billion mark at 499 million.
The year 2016 also marked the seventh consecutive year of sustained growth for the EU's 28 member countries.
The EU tourism trends report is part of a project dubbed "Enhancing the Understanding of European Tourism" aimed at monitoring the evolution of EU market trends, improving tourism data keeping and the promotion of cultural, sustainable and responsible tourism.
The project runs until February 2018.
Meanwhile, the UNWTO declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, in a bid to promote the tourism industry's role in "building a better world."
Some of the key pillars for the program include promoting sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction, environmental protection and climate change, the promotion of cultural values, diversity and heritage, peace and security.
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