Euromonitor’s Top City Destinations Ranking reveals visitor numbers for 100 of the world’s leading cities for 2015, the latest available. They show an overall growth rate of 5.5% compared with 2014. This compares with 4% growth in total worldwide tourist arrivals in 2015.
The top five were Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Singapore and Paris. Hong Kong achieved 26.7 million visitors, down 3.9% on the previous year. Bangkok jumped into second place at its expense, with 10% growth to 18.7 million visitors, while London was the second biggest gainer in the top five, up 6.8% to 18.6 million, boosted by the Rugby World Cup. Paris suffered only slightly from the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks in 2015, down 0.2% to 15 million. Euromonitor adds, however, that “2016 arrivals are expected to be harder hit”.
Eighth place Istanbul saw 12.4 million visitors with an increase of 4.8%, just ahead of New York. Euromonitor comments: “Istanbul proved largely immune to a decline in Russian arrivals due to the weak rouble and unlike Turkish beach destinations, registered growth. However, the Ataturk airport bombing and military coup show it remains a volatile city.”
The report adds that countries with “a comparable offering” to France, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia” saw booming international arrivals. “Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy in particular, attracted growing numbers of visitors.”
The report notes that Rio de Janeiro was the fastest growing city in 2014 due to the World Cup. It saw a 28% fall in international arrivals in 2015, something that should be reversed by its hosting of the Olympics this year.
Among the biggest gainers was Tokyo, up 35% to 8.4 million, Osaka up 52% to 3.4 million and Kyoto, up 47.6% to 2.1 million. Euromonitor attributes this to the popularity of the Golden Route, which sees tourists arrive in Tokyo and then travel to Kyoto and Osaka via Mount Fuji; although the then weakness of the Japanese yen will have played a part.
