The Most Visited City of 2017 Might Surprise You
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Millions of people are taking international trips each year — even after an increase in passport fees.
Mastercard analyzed 162 global cities to rank the top travel destinations and found that tourists are making their way to Bangkok more than any other city. The Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index ranked 162 cities based on visitor volume and spend for the 2017 calendar year, growth forecast for 2018, the average length of stay and amount spent per day.
With just more than 20 million international overnight visitors, MasterCard predicts Bangkok will remain in the top spot with 9.6% growth expected in 2018. The analysis also found that on average, visitors tend to stay in this Southeast Asian city for 4.7 nights and spend around $173 per day.
Following behind Bangkok comes London, Paris and Dubai. London trails not too far behind Bangkok, with 19.83 million visitors, and although people are staying 5.8 nights on average, most only spend $153 per day and the index predicts only a 3% growth in 2018. The report also indicated that Dubai remains in a top spot based off how much visitors are spending each day. In 2017, travelers in Dubai racked up $29.70 billion spent — averaging roughly $530 per day.
Top 10 Cities for Total International Visitors:
- Bangkok
- London
- Paris
- Dubai
- Singapore
- New York
- Kuala Lumpur
- Tokyo
- Istanbul
- Seoul
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