Although no city from the Philippines was included in the list, at least two cities from Asia were included. Tokyo in Japan ranked third while Singapore was ninth among the world’s most attractive city destinations, data analytics company Euromonitor International disclosed.
Singapore is the only country in Southeast Asia to be included in the top 10. “Singapore has dominated the Economic and Business Performance pillar since the introduction of the Top 100 City Destinations Index and is renowned as the world’s freest economy,” Euromonitor International said.
Euromonitor International leads the world in data analytics and research into markets, industries, economies, and consumers. Its Top 100 City Destinations Index 2024 delivers actionable insights into the performance, appeal, and potential of urban markets. It compares 55 different metrics across six key pillars for 100 city destinations, to create an overall city attractiveness score.
The six key pillars include (1) economic and business performance, (2) tourism performance, (3) tourism infrastructure, (4) tourism policy and attractiveness, (5) health and safety, and (6) sustainability.
“Despite positive recovery projections, challenges like labor shortages, geopolitical tensions, and a sluggish economy will persist, limiting city growth,” said Nadejda Popova, global head of loyalty at Euromonitor International.
“Less-travelled destinations and third-tier cities are expected to rise in popularity as travelers seek hidden gems, off-season experiences and responsible tourism. Consumers will prioritize culturally enriching, personalized experiences, making them the new travel currency,” Popova added.
The annual report, issued by Euromonitor International in partnership with data company Lighthouse, revealed that Asia stands out in the top 10 cities. “Singapore has entered the top 10 for the first time, driven by strong economic and business performance and enhanced tourism policies attracting consumers,” it said.
Paris (France) led the top 10 cities closely followed by Madrid (Spain). The fourth and fifth rankings were taken by Rome and Milan, respectively, both from Italy. New York (United States) took the sixth spot while Amsterdam (the Netherlands) was seventh.
Australia’s Sydney secured eighth place, “achieving a remarkable growth by climbing 14 steps up.” The tenth place went to another city in Spain: Barcelona, which is noted for Basílica de la Sagrada Família.
Asia saw strong representation in the rest of the top 20 as Taiwan’s Taipei (11), South Korea’s Seoul (12), United Arab Emirates’ Dubai (14), Japan’s Osaka (16), and Thailand’s Bangkok (17) all made the list.
The rest of the top 20 were the United Kingdom’s London (13), Germany’s Berlin (15), United States’ Los Angeles (18), Turkey’s Istanbul (19), and Australia’s Melbourne (20).
From the ranks 21 to 40, these are the cities: Hong Kong, Munich, Las Vegas, Florence, Prague, Dublin, Kyoto, Vienna, Lisbon, Venice, Kuala Lumpur, Athens, Orlando, Toronto, Miami, San Francisco, Shanghai, Frankfurt am Main, Copenhagen, and Zurich.
The cities that made it from 41 to 60 are as follows: Washington, Pattaya-Chonburi, Vancouver, Stockholm, Mexico City, Oslo, São Paulo, Phuket, Helsinki, Brussels, Budapest, Guangzhou, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Honolulu, Beijing, Warsaw, Seville, Valencia, and Shenzhen.
From 61 to 80, these are the cities included in the list: Doha, Abu Dhabi, Antalya, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Busan, Macau, Edinburgh, Montreal, Cancún, Bologna, Rhodes, Verona, Delhi, Porto, Ho Chi Minh City, Buenos Aires, Marne-La-Vallée, Rio de Janeiro, and Kraków.
Rounding up from 81 to 100 are the cities of Heraklion, Johor Bahru, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, Sharjah, Thessaloniki, Lima, Medina, Tbilisi, Riyadh, Tallinn, Marrakech, Mecca, Denpasar, Punta Cana, Santiago, Vilnius, Jerusalem, Zhuhai, and Cairo.
Global international arrivals saw a 19% increase in 2024, driven by strong tourism demand, according to Euromonitor International.
Bangkok topped the list of international arrivals by city with 32.4 million trips in 2024. The city surpassed the pre-pandemic level of international tourism flows in 2023 and continued dynamic growth of over 30% in 2024.
Istanbul in Turkey came in second with 23 million trips. Another city in Turkey that made it to the top 10 cities in international arrivals was Antalya, touted to be the country’s capital of tourism, with 19.3 million trips.
The other cities in Asia to be included in the list were Hong Kong (ranked fourth with 20.5 million trips), Saudi Arabia’s Mecca (ranked fifth with 19.3 million trips), United Arab Emirates’ Dubai (ranked seventh with 18.2 million trips), Macau (ranked eighth with 18 million trips), and Kuala Lumpur (ranked tenth with 16.5 million trips).
Two cities from Europe joined the top 10 list: the United Kingdom’s London (ranked third with 21.7 million trips) and France’s Paris (ranked ninth with 17.4 million trips).
International tourism spending totaled USD1.9 trillion in 2024, the Euromonitor International claimed. “The global average spend per arrival will reach USD1,264 by 2030. Between 2024 to 2030, inbound average spend per trip is expected to show the highest growth in markets such as the Netherlands, China and Poland,” it said.
“In 2024, global cities increasingly leveraged sports and cultural events to boost tourism revenues,” Popova added. “Infrastructure improvements and continuous marketing have attracted travelers’ attention, opening further growth opportunities.
“The renewed concern about overtourism is on the rise. In response to overtourism, destinations continue to impose higher taxation and entry fees, promoting year-round tourism, rewarding sustainable actions, and adopting GenAI solutions.”
