Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index, an index which ranks 200 cities in terms of overnight visitors and travel spend, is released on 4 Sep.
Image of Bangkok City by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay
The Top Twenty
Bangkok tops the list for four consecutive years as the most visited cities with more than 22 million international overnight visitors. Paris and London are ranked second and third respectively, both with around 19 million international overnight visitors each. London, Paris and Bangkok have claimed the top three spots since 2010.
Most Visited Regions
Asia has emerged as the most visited region. Cities in Asia-Pacific have seen the largest increase in international travelers since 2009, growing 9.4 percent. Ten of the top 20 most visited cities are from Asia, with a combined international overnight visitor-ship of close to 121 million. Europe, which saw the second highest growth, was up 5.5 percent. Europe has 8 of the top 20 most visited cities, with a combined total of 91 million visitors.
Top 20 Most Visited Cities and Their Ranks (By Region)
Who's Visiting?
One of the factors leading to the growth in international travelers is the growth in mainland Chinese travelers. Since 2009, mainland China has risen to be the second-ranked origin country, contributing to 8.9% of the travelers to the 200 surveyed destinations, behind only the United States whose travelers make up 10% of the travels to these destinations. German travelers contributed to 6.5% of the visits to these 200 destinations.
Continue » Part 2: Dubai is the top city for traveler spending.
