Two years of strict COVID-19 lockdowns have robbed Asia of its top spot on the list of most visited cities. Previously, Hong Kong and Bangkok confidently held 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 world cities across six categories, including tourism policy and performance, sustainability, infrastructure, health and safety, and economic performance.
At the moment, Europe is confidently winning. Thus, Paris has been in first place for the second year in a row, and there are eight “Europeans” in the top 10. The exception is Dubai, which received “silver” and New York, which closed the list. In total, the rating includes 40 European cities, of which Italy (six cities), Spain (five cities), and Greece (four cities) became the leaders of Western Europe. In the top 10, Amsterdam is third, Madrid is fourth, Rome is fifth, and London is up two places this year to sixth.
“While 2022 has been a positive year for the tourism sector, the path to a full recovery from the pandemic is long,” Euromonitor said.
Soaring inflation and deteriorating economic conditions are likely to affect the speed of tourism recovery, experts add, but it is still difficult to predict precisely how.
Also, as the authors of Euromonitor noted, “Asia is a region worth keeping an eye on in 2023, as the return of international travel, both inbound and outbound, is sure to edit the rankings again.”
Here are the full top 10 best cities according to Euromonitor for 2022:
- Paris
- Dubai
- Amsterdam
- Madrid
- Rome
- London
- Munich
- Berlin
- Barcelona
- New York