From Bangkok to Tokyo: The 10 most visited cities in the world

The most popular destinations around the world lie mostly in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, which has seen a 15% to 24% growth in international visits over the last seven years.

According the latest edition of the annual Mastercard Destination Cities Index, the Thai capital received 19.41 million international overnight visitors in 2016 — a figure that’s expected to grow another 4% this year to 20.19 million.

Rounding out the top three spots is London, which is forecast to receive 20.01 million international overnight visitors by the end of 2017, and Paris, which trails at an estimated 16.13 million.

Globally, international overnight visitor arrivals across all 132 destinations studied have grown by 55% since 2009, points out the report.

But the biggest movers and shakers around the world lie mostly in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, which has seen a 15% to 24% growth in international visits over the last seven years.

The index revealed spending trends in some of the top 20 destination cities. For example, visitors to Seoul, Korea, spend the most on shopping (57%).

The list of fastest growing destinations, for instance, is led by Osaka which saw 24% growth since 2009, followed by Chengdu (23%) and Colombo (20%).

Dubai enjoys a big lead over its next competitor, New York, where international tourists spent $17.02 billion, a figure that’s expected to rise a modest 1.5% this year.

One of the biggest losers this year is London, where the fallout from Brexit is expected to result in negative growth (-5%) in tourist spending.

Visitors to Istanbul, Turkey, can expect to shell out the most on food and dining (34%).

The index also revealed spending trends in some of the top 20 destination cities. For example, visitors to Seoul spend the most on shopping (57%), followed by London (47%), Osaka (43%) and Tokyo (43%).

Visitors to Istanbul and Prague can expect to shell out the most on food and dining (34 and 29% respectively), while accommodation eats up most of a traveller’s budget to cities like Paris (45%), Milan, and Rome (both 40%).

Here are the top 10 cities in the Mastercard Destination Cities Index:

1. Bangkok, Thailand — 19.41 million visitors in 2016 (20.19 million forecast for 2017)

2. London, England — 19.06 million visitors in 2016 (20.01 million forecast for 2017)

3. Paris, France — 15.45 million visitors in 2016 (16.13 million forecast for 2017)

4. Dubai, UAE — 14.87 million visitors in 2016 (16.01 million forecast for 2017)

5. Singapore — 13.11 million visitors in 2016 (13.45 million forecast for 2017)

6. New York, USA — 12.70 million visitors in 2016 (12.36 million forecast for 2017)

7. Seoul, South Korea — 12.39 million visitors in 2016 (12.44 million forecast for 2017)

8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — 11.28 million visitors in 2016 (12.08 million forecast for 2017)

9. Tokyo, Japan — 11.15 million visitors in 2016 (12.51 million forecast for 2017)

10. Istanbul, Turkey — 9.16 million visitors in 2016 (9.24 million forecast for 2017)

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