Paris Is World’s Top City Destination for 2023
Euromonitor International has launched its new report on the world’s top 100 city destinations for 2023, and Paris continues to lead the list.
- Paris tops the list of the world’s top 100 city destinations, according to the latest Euromonitor report.
- Seven out of the top ten destinations in this list include European cities.
- Global travel is making a solid recovery in 2023, with a 38 per cent growth in the number of trips.
Along with Paris, Madrid and Dubai make the top three, whereas Tokyo is listed in the fourth place, entering the top ten rankings for the first time, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to Nadejda Popova, Senior Manager at Euromonitor International, Paris managed to maintain this status due to its outstanding performance in the pillars of Tourism Policy and Attractiveness, Tourism Infrastructure, and Tourism Performance.
The report indicates that the top ten list is primarily composed of seven European countries, with Dubai, Tokyo, and New York being the only non-European cities in the top ten rankings.
It also notes a strong representation from Asia in the extended top 20, with Singapore ranking 11th, Seoul at 14th, Osaka at 16th, and Hong Kong at 17th.
Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023 assesses 100 cities using 55 metrics across six pillars, including economic performance, tourism, infrastructure, policy, health, safety, and sustainability.
According to this report, the world’s top 20 cities for 2023 are as follows:
- Paris, France
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Madrid, Spain
- Tokyo, Japan
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Berlin, Germany
- Rome, Italy
- New York, United States of America
- Barcelona, Spain
- London, United Kingdom
- Singapore, Singapore
- Munich, Germany
- Milan, Italy
- Seoul, South Korea
- Dublin, Ireland
- Osaka, Japan
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- Vienna, Austria
- Los Angeles, United States of America
- Lisbon, Portugal
Whereas Washington DC (48th), Montreal (68th), Santiago (88th), and Vilnius (92nd) joined the top 100 list this year, due to their improved tourism performance, as revealed by Euromonitor.
According to the same source, international travel is experiencing a strong recovery in 2023, with a 38 per cent increase in the number of trips, and it is forecasted to reach 1.3 billion by the end of the year.
An important milestone for the recovery of the industry in 2023 has been the return of Chinese international travel, following the removal of the governmental quarantine. Global tourism spending is set to reach USD 1.7 trillion in 2023.
As per the number of international trips, the cities that experienced the highest year-on-year increase include Istanbul (26 per cent), followed by London (17 per cent), Dubai (18 per cent), Antalya (29 per cent), Paris (four per cent), Hong Kong (2,495 per cent), Bangkok (142 per cent), New York (24 per cent) Cancun (13 per cent) and Mecca (124 per cent).
Hong Kong and Bangkok experienced the most significant year-on-year growth in international arrivals, taking into account that they were the last to reopen after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Euromonitor.
On the other hand, one of the recent challenges cities are facing is over-tourism, with Senior Manager at Euromonitor International Nadejda Popova noting that it may impact local communities and the environment as tourism recovers from the COVID-19 crisis.
Some destinations are imposing restrictions, steep taxation or reduction of hotel capacity to help limit the influx of tourists and preserve cultural heritage, while others embrace dispersion strategies that promote alternative or off-the-beaten-path destinations.
According to her, the industry may encounter other challenges in 2024 and 2025, such as a rising cost of living, fluctuating inflation, and geopolitical volatility.
