The 10 most visited cities in the world

The Hong Kong skyline from the harbor at daytime.  The water is blue-green, and a traditional Chinese junk ship with square red sails is in the water in the foreground.  The buildings in the skyline are of various heights and mostly white in front of a hillside covered with smaller buildings under a blue sky.

Euromonitor International has officially rolled out the Top 100 City Destinations Ranking 2017 Edition, incorporating the WTM Global Travel Trends to give a peek at how city destinations rank on a global scale.

It also delved into the in-destination innovations and how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.

But no need to fret over the numerous report pages, because we’ve whittled down the highlights for you right here.

The top ten most visited cities in the world

According to the report, Hong Kong holds title of most visited city in the world for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Bangkok and London, which represents the most visited city in Europe and the only European city in the top ten ranking, along with Paris.

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Source: Euromonitor International

How Australian and New Zealand cities performed

  • Sydney takes 53rd spot with 3,857,900 arrivals in 2017, experiencing 6.6 per cent annual growth from 2016 but dropping one place in the global rankings
  • Climbing two places, Melbourne ranks 77th with 2,782,700 arrivals, experiencing annual growth of 9.8 per cent
  • And finally, Auckland takes the 81st place with 2,625,100, growing 5.2 per cent and notching up two places in the global rankings

The top ten most visited cities in Asia

Globally, the top two cities are located in Asia. Hong Kong remains the largest arrivals city worldwide. Unlike Hong Kong, Bangkok has been performing very strongly in recent years.

Seoul closes out the top 10 in Asia, but with an expected double-digit decline in 2017, because of the tensions between South Korea and China.

Asia Pacific is the standout region that has driven change in the travel landscape over the past decade, and is expected to continue doing so in the coming decade.

 The Top Ten Asian Cities are:
1.       Hong Kong
2.       Bangkok
3.       Singapore
4.       Macau
5.       Shenzhen
6.       Kuala Lumpur
7.       Phuket
8.       Tokyo
9.       Taipei
10.     Seoul                                                                                                 
 Source: Euromonitor InternationalSource: Euromonitor International

 

Other report highlights

  • Asian cities will dominate the global destination rankings in the next decade, thanks to the inexorable rise of Chinese outbound tourism.
  • Indonesian cities are expected to benefit from a Chinese influx, boosted by the waiving of visa requirements. Denpasar, the gateway to Bali, is expected to see the strongest growth.
  • In absolute growth terms, Delhi is expected to see the strongest increase in 2017, with 2.8 million more inbound arrivals compared to 2016. The 2014 e-visa launch in India has boosted arrivals.
  • South Korean cities are expected to perform the worst in the region, as the strained relationship with China takes its toll. Jeju registered very strong growth in the past years due to its proximity to China, visa-free entry allowance and the rapid growth of low-cost carrier Jeju Air, but this reversed in 2017.
  • Japanese cities are a victim of their own success. With the strong influx of Chinese tourists in recent years, hotel rates in Tokyo and neighbouring Chiba have skyrocketed, driving travellers away. Chiba registered decline, with Tokyo a mere slowdown.

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