Travel in 2016 - winners and losers

A gain of 34 percent: no other European country boasts a higher tourism growth rate. The European Travel Commission says about 1.7 million foreign tourists visited Iceland, including many from the US and Asia. They weren’t put off by the high prices, and were rewarded with spectacular scenery: waterfalls, glaciers and geysers.

This eastern European country placed second for overall tourism growth this past year - with an increase of 19 percent. Slovakia can’t offer visitors sandy beaches and a Mediterranean climate - but many tourists were attracted by the country’s affordable prices, the Carpathian Mountains, and the old-town district in the capital Bratislava.

Tourism for this Mediterranean island also jumped 19 percent, putting Cyprus in a two-way tie with Slovakia. Cyprus benefited from an increase in Russian tourists this summer. They stayed away from Turkey because of terrorist attacks and the increase in tensions between Ankara and Moscow.

German and Russian tourists who booked their holiday on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast decided that it was cheaper than Ibiza and safer than Turkey. Tourism rose 13-percent in this eastern European country - good enough for third place on the list. Prices in Bulgaria are comparatively low - so tourists will have more money to spend in clubs and resorts.

Spain’s tourism growth rate was “just” 10 percent - low, compared to Iceland and Cyprus. But the actual number of foreign visitors remains solid: about 74 million in 2016, and that’s a new record. Spain offers sun, sea, sand - and, most importantly, safety. The crowds on the beaches are proof that Spain is the year's winner.

There was a big increase in the number of tourists after the Brexit vote - because the pound dropped sharply in value. In fact, tourism rose by 8 percent in just six months. Visitors from Europe, Hong Kong, and the US shopped till they dropped.

It was a tough tourist season for this Mediterranean country - with an increase of just 1.5 percent. The islands of Crete, Corfu, and Mykonos remained popular. But tourism fell sharply on Greek islands in the eastern Aegean that were struggling with the refugee crisis. Lesbos was down 63 percent, and Chios dropped by 71 percent.

Terrorist attacks and political unrest combined to cause a drop of 33 percent in the number of foreign tourists. In August alone, 74 percent fewer Russians and 34 percent fewer Germans took vacations in Turkey. But the number of tourists from Saudi Arabia rose - some good news for the hotels on the Turkish Riviera.

Terrorist attacks in Brussels also caused a big drop in the number of tourists visiting Belgium - 13 percent, in fact. Tourism was also down in the picturesque city of Bruges, which usually attracts lots of visitors. A bit of good news: in November, Belgian beer was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

After terrorist attacks in Paris and Nice, tourism fell by about 5.5 percent nationwide. In Paris, it was down 16.6 percent - despite the influx of visitors for the Euro 2016 soccer championship. With some 80 million visitors, France is still the world's number-one tourist destination. And to keep it that way, the government is preparing new security measures worth 43 million euros.

Germany was also hit by terrorism. In July there were several attacks in Bavaria, and the current tragedy at a Berlin Christmas market left at least 12 people dead. Despite that, tourism in Germany grew at a moderate rate of 1.5 percent. Munich, Bavaria, Heidelberg, the Black Forest and the capital Berlin are especially popular among visitors from abroad.