The 20 Best Cities in the World for 2024 RANKED: Paris takes number 1 again, with London dropping out of the top 10 and New York moving up
Paris has been crowned the best city destination in the world for the fourth year in a row in an annual survey.
Once again, the French capital tops Euromonitor International’s Top City Destinations Index.
This ranks cities around the world based on a comparison of 55 metrics across six ‘key pillars’: economic and business performance; tourism performance; tourist infrastructure; tourism policy and attractiveness; health and safety and sustainability.
The 2024 report ranks Madrid second, Tokyo third and Rome fourth, with Milan completing the top five.
The rest of the top 10 consists of New York (sixth), Amsterdam (seventh), Sydney (eighth), Singapore (ninth) and Barcelona (10th).
London, the largest British city, has fallen from 10th to 13th, behind Taipei (11th) and Seoul (12th).
Paris has been crowned the best city destination in the world for the fourth year in a row in an annual survey. Once again, the French capital tops Euromonitor International’s Top City Destinations Index
The rest of the top 20 consists of Dubai (14th), Berlin (15th), Osaka (16th), Bangkok (17th), Los Angeles (18th), Istanbul (19th) and Melbourne (20th).
Euromonitor International noted that ‘Paris will maintain unparalleled global dominance by 2024’, with its tourism offer further boosted by ‘a wide range of sporting events hosted throughout the year, including the Summer Olympics’.
The report also found that global international arrivals increased by 19 percent by 2024, “driven by strong tourism demand.”
Europe is still the most popular region, with 793 million international trips this year.
London, the highest-ranked British city, has fallen from 10th to 13th, behind Taipei (11th) and Seoul (12th)
However, the most visited city in terms of international arrivals is Bangkok, with 32 million in 2024.
Euromonitor International said: ‘The city surpassed pre-pandemic levels of international tourist flows in 2023 and continued its dynamic growth of more than 30 percent in 2024.’
The rest of the top five international arrivals are Istanbul (second, 23 million/up 14 percent); London (third, 21.7 million/plus seven percent); Hong Kong (fourth, 20.5 million/19 percent up) and Mecca (fifth, 19.3 million/20 percent up).
The top 10 is completed with Antalya (sixth), Dubai (seventh), Macau (eighth), Paris (ninth) and Kuala Lumpur (10th).
Nadejda Popova, global head of loyalty at Euromonitor International, said: “Despite positive recovery forecasts, challenges such as labor shortages, geopolitical tensions and a sluggish economy will persist, limiting urban growth.
‘Less-traveled destinations and third-tier cities are expected to rise in popularity as travelers seek out hidden gems, off-season experiences and responsible tourism.
“Consumers will prioritize culturally enriching, personalized experiences, making them the new travel currency.”
