Paris has been crowned the world’s best city destination for the fourth consecutive year in an annual study.
Once again the French capital is on top Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations Index.
It ranks cities around the world based on a comparison of 55 metrics across six ‘key pillars’ – economic and business performance; tourism performance; tourism infrastructure; tourism policy and attractiveness; health and safety, and sustainability.
The 2024 report places Madrid in second place, Tokyo third and Rome fourth, with Milan rounding out the top five.
The rest of the top 10 consists of New York (sixth), Amsterdam (seventh), Sydney (eighth), Singapore (ninth) and Barcelona (10th).
Londonthe highest ranked British city, slipped from 10th to 13th, behind Taipei (11th) and Seoul (12th).
Paris has been crowned the world’s best city destination for the fourth consecutive year in an annual study. Once again, the French capital tops Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations Index
The rest of the top 20 consists of Dubai (14th), Berlin (15th), Osaka (16th), Bangkok (17th), Los Angeles (18th), Istanbul (19th) and Melbourne (20th).
At the other end of the table is Cairo, which ranks 100th, with Zhuhai coming in 99th and Jerusalem in 98th.
Euromonitor International noted that ‘Paris has unrivaled global dominance in 2024’, its tourism offering further enhanced by ‘a wide range of sporting events hosted throughout the year, including the Summer Olympics’.
The report also revealed that global international arrivals will increase by 19 percent in 2024, ‘driven by strong tourism demand’.
Europe remained the most popular region, reaching 793 million international trips this year.
London, the top-ranked British city, slipped from 10th to 13th, behind Taipei (11th) and Seoul (12th)
Madrid is ranked as the second best city in the world to visit
Tokyo has been named the world’s third best city to visit
The most visited city in terms of international arrivals is Bangkok, with 32 million in 2024.
Euromonitor International said: ‘The city surpassed the pre-pandemic level of international tourism flows in 2023 and continued dynamic growth of more than 30 percent in 2024.’
The rest of the top five for international arrivals consists of Istanbul (second, 23 million/more than 14 percent); London (third, 21.7 million / more than seven percent); Hong Kong (fourth, 20.5 million/up 19 percent) and Mecca (fifth, 19.3 million/up 20 percent).
The top 10 are Antalya (sixth), Dubai (seventh), Macau (eighth), Paris (ninth) and Kuala Lumpur (10th).
Nadejda Popova, global head of loyalty at Euromonitor International, said: ‘Despite positive recovery projections, challenges such as labor shortages, geopolitical tensions and a sluggish economy will continue, limiting city growth.
‘Destinations less traveled and third-tier cities are expected to grow 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.”
Cairo (above) ranks 100th, with Zhuhai 99th and Jerusalem 98th
