The Spanish Steps, one of the city's iconic tourist attractions.Main article: Tourism in Rome
Tourism is Rome's chief industry, with numerous notable museums including the Vatican Museum, the Borghese Gallery, and the Musei Capitolini: in 2005 the city registered 19.5 million visitors, up of 22.1% from 2001. In 2006 Rome was visited by 6.03 million international tourists, reaching the 8th place in the ranking of the world's 150 most visited cities. Rome is also the third most visited city in the EU, and its historic centre, along with "the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura," is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The World Heritage site was extended in 1990 to the walls of Urban VIII, to include the Forums, the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Mausoleum of Hadrian, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column and the Column of Marcus Aurelius, as well as the religious and public buildings of papal Rome.
The city's international branding has proved to be successful; in terms of marketing, the city ranks ninth worldwide, yet in terms of attractions and touristic assets, it ranks sixth. According to one study, Rome has several touristic sights, monuments and an attractive atmosphere which makes it one of the top cities cities in terms of branding. Its communication is less effective than other cities such as Berlin, but it remains in the top ten most commercially successful cities.
Public monuments and buildings, such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are amongst the world's 50 most visited tourist destinations (the Vatican Museums receiving 4.2 million tourists and the Colosseum receiving 4 million tourists every year).
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