New York City is no longer one of the world's top 10 tourist destinations
Well, it was good while it lasted.
According to EuroMonitor's top cities report, the entire continents of North and South America may no longer have cities that can crack the list for the top 10 destinations in the world.
The report highlights the top 100 cities based on 2018 international arrivals — meaning international tourists who visited for at least 24 hours — as well as 2019 projections from current data.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
In 2018, New York City clung to its No. 8 spot. But based on current numbers, it's expected that it will plunge three spots by the end of the year — excluding it and the Americas from the 2019 list. London may drop two spots, down to No. 5, and Kuala Lumpur is projected to slip from No. 9 to No. 10. This is what the list is expected to look like by year's end:
- Hong Kong, 26.7 million
- Bangkok, 25.8 million
- Macau, 20.6 million
- Singapore, 19.8 million
- London, 19.6 million
- Paris, 19.1 million
- Dubai, 16.3 million
- Delhi, 15.2 million
- Istanbul, 14.7 million
- Kuala Lumpur, 14.1 million
New York City is still the most popular urban destination in the U.S., as well as North and South America, followed by Miami (expected to be the 29th most popular city for tourists in the world in 2019); Los Angeles (33rd) and Las Vegas (38th). All will loose ground based on current projections. In fact, only 13 of the top 100 cities are in the Americas.
Rabia Yasmeen, the author of the report, wrote that, "Despite high concern for safety and security among visitors, stringent policies and a travel ban under the Trump administration, most U.S. destinations performed well during 2018 when compared with the previous year."
"However," Yaseem added, "most U.S. cities in [the ranking] experienced a decline ... due to increased competitiveness from other regions such as Asia and Europe."
Related: The best starter travel credit cards
According to the report, only 13 of the top 100 cities are in the Americas. The majority (expected to be 42 in 2019), are in Asia — a number that has increased significantly from 34 back in 2013.
Europe remains a popular spot for tourists, too. It maintained 32 cities in the rankings, the same number as last year. What's interesting to note, though, is that the number of inbound arrivals to London decreased, possibly the result of Brexit uncertainty and tightened visa restrictions, Yaseem surmised.
If you want to beat all the crowds, though, you'll want to make sure Singapore, Delhi, Hurghada, Egypt; and Fukuoka, Japan are all on your list for next year. They're all listed as cities to watch in the report. EuroMonitor predicts Hurghada might even crack the top 50 in the next years, as it leapt 45 places this year.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

