The list of cities with the most international visitors is continuing a trend toward Asia, according to a recent report from EuroMonitor, a data research company that compiles an annual list. Based on current numbers for this year, eight of the top ten cities are in Asia or at its edge.
North and South America are out of the top altogether, and only London and Paris remain for Europe. New York, the last American city in the Top Ten for 2018, has slipped three spots and off the top. Hong Kong appears to be keeping its spot at the top, despite turmoil around its recent protests, but it’s expected to end up with a nearly 9% loss.
Many of the cities that have dropped on the list haven’t lost visitors—others have grown faster. For a fuller look at the list, click here. New York, at 11, is the top American destination, with Miami (29), Los Angeles (33) and Las Vegas (38) following behind. Only 13 of the top 100 are in the Americas. Other cities of the Americas on the list include Cancun, Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Buenos Aires and Rio. Honolulu is also on the list, politically Americas, but geographically elsewhere.
The list counts arrivals who stay at least 24 hours. That requirement keeps cities such as Dubai and Istanbul (7 and 9 on the list) from soaring even higher due to large numbers of passengers changing planes at its hubs.
Overall, the list expects to wind up this year with 42 Asian cities, up from 34 five years ago. Europe is holding on to 32 spots. There’s a little wiggle in the numbers; Istanbul’s main airport and two-thirds of its population are in Europe, while the other airport and the rest of the city are Asian.
Photo: Hong Kong, View from the Peak (HStoffels/Wikimedia)
