For the first time in over a decade Paris has edged out London for the title of most-visited city in Europe for 2018, but it’s still way behind Bangkok, the world leader for many years.
Paris’s victory was a near thing, with 19.1 foreign visitors to London’s 19.09 way behind Bangkok’s 22.78 milion. The figures come from Mastercard’s annual Global Cities Index. For London, the figure is a 3.7% drop from 2017; for Paris it represented at 9.7% increase. London can comfort itself with the thought that visitors to the British capital spent more than visitors to Paris.
From the Index:
Cities with most visitors
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Paris, France
- London, UK
- Dubai, UAE
- Singapore, Singapore
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- New York, USA
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Tokyo, Japan
- Antalya, Turkey
Cities with highest visitor spending
- Dubai, UAE
- Makkah, Saudi Arabia
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Singapore, Singapore
- London, UK
- New York, USA
- Paris, France
- Tokyo, Japan
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Phuket, Thailand
London visitors’ higher spending per head is perhaps explained, at least in part, by the sky-high prices for everything from food to attractions and hotels. Whenever I go – and I try to avoid having to – I feel that I am being ripped off!
On the other hand, many more free museums in London…but yes, it’s a place I wonder how people without wealth get by.
So many attractions in London – and the UK – are free. Its always expensive to visit any Capital City.