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Not everyone in Spain will be happy with the news though - locals in places like Majorca have staged anti-tourism protests in recent months
FIESTA TIME!

Spain overtakes the US to become the second-most popular holiday destination in the world

Spain welcomed around 82 million visitors last year, according to the UN World Tourism Organisation

SPAIN is set to replace the United States as the world's second-most popular tourism destination while France has retained the top spot.

The UN World Tourism Organisation announced today that it "expected" that Spain will take the second position with some 82 million visitors last year.

 Spain is set to replace the United States as the world's second-most popular tourism destination
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Spain is set to replace the United States as the world's second-most popular tourism destinationCredit: Getty - Contributor

The deciding figures will only be published in the spring, however.

Spain took the second spot despite a terror attack in August and a highly publicised independence crisis in tourism magnet Cataloni - home to Barcelona and Costa Brava beaches.

John Kester, head of tourism trends at the UN agency, added that "everything indicates" that France would retain its top spot in 2017.

The number of global tourists travelling to different countries leapt seven percent compared to 2016, the biggest increase in seven years.

 Not everyone in Spain will be happy with the news though - locals in places like Majorca have staged anti-tourism protests in recent months
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Not everyone in Spain will be happy with the news though - locals in places like Majorca have staged anti-tourism protests in recent monthsCredit: Getty - Contributor

Europe was the star of the show as it attracted a large number of visitors, up eight percent from the previous year, with holidaymakers particularly attracted to the Mediterranean's sea and sun.

This contrasts with 2016 figures that saw security fears hit visitor arrivals in Europe.

Spain suffered a deadly jihadist attack in August in Catalonia, the same region whose leaders tried unsuccessfully to break away from Spain, which did spark a drop in visitor numbers afterwards.

But it does not appear to have dented overall tourist figures for Spain in 2017.

 Spain overtook the US to gain the second spot - after the country's international tourism numbers shrank during the first five months of Donald Trump's presidency
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Spain overtook the US to gain the second spot - after the country's international tourism numbers shrank during the first five months of Donald Trump's presidencyCredit: Getty Images - Getty

In 2016, Spain welcomed 75.3 million visitors, just behind the United States with 75.6 million, while France easily remained the world leader with 82.6 million visitors, according to the UNWTO.

International tourism to the United States shrank during the first five months of Donald Trump's presidency, according to the US International Trade Administration.

Arrivals fell five percent in the first quarter and three percent in the second quarter, official figures show.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had already announced last week that tourism numbers had soared, saying total earnings rose 12 percent to €87 billion (£77 billion) in 2017.

 France is expected to retain its top spot in 2017
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France is expected to retain its top spot in 2017Credit: Alamy

However, not everyone in Spain will be happy with the news.

Angry locals in several parts of the country staged anti-tourism protests last summer.

In August, protesters of stormed a beach in Barcelona to "reclaim" it from tourists - as visitors napped nearby.

Crowds surged on to the sand to highlight their upset over party-seeking foreigners driving up rent and house prices, while bringing a spike in rowdy behaviour.

In September, thousands of people took to the streets in Majorca to protest against mass tourism, chanting "without limits there is no future" and "tourists go home" in the Spanish island's capital, Palma.

Just a week later, thugs pelted six coaches with eggs near Palma airport, putting the lives of the drivers, holidaymakers and other road users at risk.