Two years of strict “covid” bans stripped Asia of its leadership in the list of most visited cities. Previously, Hong Kong and Bangkok were firmly in the top 10, but now the situation has changed, according to the European company Euromonitor. It presents an annual ranking that compares the attractiveness of 100 cities around the world in six categories, including tourism policy and effectiveness, sustainability, infrastructure, health and safety, and economic performance.
At the moment, Europe is confidently winning. Yes, Paris holds first place for the second year in a row, with eight “Europeans” in the top 10. The exception is Dubai, which received “silver” and New York, which closes the list. A total of 40 European cities were included in the rating, of which Italy (six cities), Spain (five cities), and Greece (four cities) became the leaders of Western Europe. In the top ten, Amsterdam took third place, Madrid – fourth, Rome – fifth, and London rose two positions this year and took sixth place.
“Although 2022 was a positive year for the tourism sector, the road to full recovery from the pandemic is long,” Euromonitor said in a statement. The sharply rising inflation rate and worsening economic conditions will most likely affect the speed of tourism recovery, experts add, but it is difficult to predict precisely how.
Also, as the authors of Euromonitor noted, “Asia is a region to watch in 2023, as the return of international travel, both inbound and outbound, is likely to revise the rankings again.”
Here are the entire top 10 best cities according to Euromonitor for 2022:
- Paris
- Dubai
- Amsterdam
- Madrid
- Rome
- London
- Munich
- Berlin
- Barcelona
- New York