10 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2012

MasterCard has been releasing its list of cities that are most visited in a partivular year since 2011. According to Their Global Destination Cities Index for 2012 ranks Istanbul as the fastest growing destination, putting it #5 on the list after London, Paris, Bangkok and Singapore. 

New York still ranked second by visitor spending (after London), which may explain all the foreign languages one hears while shopping at the Gap GPS +0.53%. 

In the Asia/Pacific region, Bangkok led in the total number of visitors and visitor spending and is expected to displace Paris as the third-ranking city by visitor spending. Dubai retained its rank as #1 of the top 10 destination cities in the Middle East and Africa. 

Glitz trumped history in the People’s Republic of China, with Shanghai ahead of Beijing by five ranks. And though to many minds Barcelona outcharms Madrid, Spain’s capital remained the more popular destination. 

Although Rome hasn't lost any of its charm, it has slipped in popularity as a tourist destination, falling below Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Frankfurt and Dubai. Perhaps economic forces are at play. 

The ten most visited cities in the world in 2012 are as under;

1-London, England

London, the English Capital

In the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, London leads the world as both the most popular destination city for overseas travelers, and in the average amount each visitor spends. Whether drawn by business or as tourists, London's visitors from New York are the ones that travel the furthest and spend the most.

2- Paris, France

The French Capital Paris

Paris retains its second-place rank, but has seen a decline of 0.6% in its visitor numbers, with 16 million expected to visit this year. It remains a shopping haven, though, with visitors expected to spend $17.8 billion there.

3- Bangkok, Thailand

The Thai Capital Bangkok

Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya River is a world-famous landmark of Bangkok, which is expected to get 12.2 million visitors this year.Thailand's capital leads the Asia/Pacific region in the total number of visitors and visitor spending and is expected to displace Paris as the third-ranking city by visitor spending.

4- Singapore

Beautiful View of Singapore

With a population of less than 5 million, Singapore expects 11.8 million visitors this year. Although it is a melting pot of cultures, including Indian, Chinese and Malay, English is the dominant language, and Westerners do not tend to experience the culture shock there that occurs elsewhere in the region.

5- Istanbul, Turkey

The Historical Istanbul, Turkey

As a travel destination, Istanbul is a rising star, with sights like the Hagia Sophia mosque shown here. The number of visitors rose by 14.7%, and it moved up one rank as a popular destination since last year, displacing Hong Kong. It also has the highest growth rate in visitor spending — an impressive 20.7% 

6- Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong, China

Its majestic harbor beckons, with 11.1 million visitors expected this year, but visitor spending in Hong Kong has declined by one rank.

7- Madrid, Spain

The Spanish Capital Madrid

Its architecture and museums make Madrid #4 of top European destination cities (after London, Paris and Istabul), and #7 worldwide. 

8- Dubai, UAE

Dubai, UAE, the Shopping Capital of Middile East

Sometimes called the shopping capital of the Middle East, Dubai has displaced Rome as the eighth most visited city in the world. It also retains its rank as number one of the top 10 destination cities in the Middle East and Africa. 

9- Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt, Germany

This city shows growth in both the number of visitors and what they are expected to spend. With 8.1 million visitors expected this year, it's #5 in Europe's top 10 destination cities for international travelers. 

10- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Malaysian Capital Kuala Lumpur

A construction boom has altered the cityscape of the downtown area of Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. It expects 8.1 million visitors in 2012, making it #4 of the top 10 Asia/Pacific destination cities (after Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong).

10 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2013

For the first time in three years, an Asian city was expected to welcome more tourists than any other city in the world. 

Bangkok, Thailand would be the number one destination for tourists in 2013, according to MasterCard's new Global Destination Cities Index. 

It beaten out major destinations like London, Paris, New York, and Dubai with an anticipated 15.98 million international arrivals in 2013. 

The annual report forecasts estimated arrivals of foreign visitors, as well as how much they were expected to spend in total. The numbers were based on data from tourism boards, number of flights in and out of the country, and the amount of reservations at paid accommodations in the city. 

The ten most visited cities in 2013 were as under.

1- Bangkok, Thailand (15.98 million international visitors)

Hong Kong, the Capital of Thailand

The top destination city by international visitor arrivals in 2013 is Bangkok-the capital city of Thailand-, according to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index. This is the first time an Asian city is in the top rank since the Index was launched in 2011.

2- London, England (15.96 million international visitors)

London, the English capital

Whether drawn by business or as tourists, London's visitors from New York are the ones that travel the furthest and spend the most.

3- Paris, France (13.92 million international visitors)

Paris, the capital city of France

Never mind that Paris shows a decline in the estimated number of international visitor arrivals. It is still a favorite city of many travelers. Ranking 3rd is, after all, not for nothing.

4- Singapore (11.75 million international visitors)

Singapore

With a population of less than 5 million, Singapore expects 11.75 million visitors this year. Although it is a melting pot of cultures, including Indian, Chinese and Malay, English is the dominant language, and Westerners do not tend to experience the culture shock there that occurs elsewhere in the region.

5- New York, USA (11.52 million international visitors)

New York, USA

In terms of cross-border spending, New York ranks top in 2013, with an estimated $18.59 billion, followed by London with $16.32 billion.

6- Istanbul, Turkey (10.37 million international visitors)

Istanbul, Turkey

As a travel destination, Istanbul is a rising star, with sights like the Hagia Sophia mosque shown here. If all top 10 destination cities maintain their current rates of growth in the next few years, then by 2016, Istanbul will surpass Singapore, New York and Paris in terms of international visitor arrivals.

7- Dubai, UAE (9.89 million international visitors)

Dubai, UAE

Sometimes called the shopping capital of the Middle East, Dubai Shows the strongest growth (along with Bangkok), increasing their arrival numbers by 10.9%.

8- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (9.20 million international visitors)

Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital

A construction boom has altered the cityscape of the downtown area of Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. It expects 9.2 million visitors in 2013, making it No. 3 of the top 10 Asia/Pacific destination cities (after Bangkok and Singapore).

9- Hong Kong, China (8.72 million international visitors)

Hong Kong, China

Its majestic harbor beckons, with 8.7 million visitors expected this year, but Hong Kong's popularity has declined by one rank since last year, putting it behind Kuala Lumpur.

10- Barcelona, Spain (8.41 million international visitors)

Barcelona, Spain

Last year it ranked far behind Madrid in popularity with visitors, and remarkably was displaced by Shanghai. In 2013 it outranked Shanghai, and Madrid was off the list. Barcelona's old world charm and Gaudi architecture would lure 8.41 million international travelers in 2013.

10 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2015

MasterCard has just released its Global Destinations Cities Index of the most visited cities in the world in the year 2015. According to the press release of 3rd June 2015 London, once again, tops the list of most visited cities in 2015. Furthermore, London crowns this rank 5th time in seven years. Having Bangkok, Dubai, Istanbul, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Hong Kong in 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th ranks respectively the Asian cities dominate the list. 

Here you go the list of top 10 most visited cities in the world in year 2015. (Click here to see the 20 most visited cities in 2014)

1- London (England)

With 18.86 Million International visitors London Tops the Top 10 most visited cities in 2015

2- Bangkok (Thailand)

Like 2014 Bangkok stands second in the list in 2015 with 18.24 million visitors

3- Paris (France) 

Paris, the capital of France, constantly stands 3rd in 2015- like 2014- with 16.06 million visitors

4- Dubai (UAE)

With 14.26 million visitors Dubai surpasses Singapore and ranks 4th in 2015 in the list

5- Istanbul (Turkey)

Istanbul improved its rank to 5th this year from 7th in 2014 with 12.56 million visitors

6- New York City (USA)

12.27 million international visitors made New York City USA stand on the same position as of 2014

7- Singapore

With slight decrease in international visitors Singapore shifted from 4th position to 7th in 2015

8- Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

11.12 international visitors helped Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia unchanged in the rank in 2015

9- Seoul (South Korea)

With 10.35 million international visitors Seoul, the capital of South Korea surpasses Hong Kong

10- Hong Kong (China)

8.66 million international visitors put Hon Kong on the last position of the list

20 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2014 Part 2

Did you ever want to know about the cities in the world that are most visited. The cities that are the destinations of most travelers across the glob. Below we are going to share the 20 most visited cities of the year 2014. Having one thing very common- being destination of most travelers- all of these centers have different qualities and specialties-like tourism, business, political activities, hosting games and so on. 

Here you go the remaining ten cities among the 20 most visited cities in the world in the year 2014. It goes beyond saying that we are grateful to Forbes for this post.

11- Barcelona

Barcelona, the beauty of Spain

For the second consecutive year, Barcelona outranks Madrid in popularity with visitors. Barcelona's old world charm and Gaudi architecture would lure 7.37 million international travelers in 2014.

12- Amsterdam

Amsterdam, the capital city of the Kingdom of Netherlands

With its scenic canals, meandering cobble stone streets and inventive architecture, Amsterdam, the capital city of the Kingdom of Netherlands, can satisfy the most ravenous explorer or jaded traveler. It's also an important hub city for travel to other European destinations.

13- Milan

Milan, a beautiful city of Italy

With slightly more visitors than Rome, Milan-the second most populous and commercial hub of Italy- ranks No. 13 on the list. Its canals are best explored by the boat tourists.

14- Rome

Rome, the capital city of Italy

It hasn't lost any of its charm, but Rome ranks behind Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. The capital city of Italy has still some charm and attraction in itself that brings a huge number of tourists to see its beauty.

15-Taipei

Taipei, the capital city of the Republic of China

The capital of the Republic of China, Taipei ranks No. 15 in both the number of visitors and spending.

16- Shanghai

Shanghai, the most populous city in the world

Count Shanghai, the most populous city proper in the world, among the new and dynamic destination cities! Once a fishing and textiles town, it's now a major financial center, the showpiece of Asian economic development and is expected to get 6.09 million international visitors this year.

17- Vienna

Vienna, the capital city of Austria

With a rank of No. 17 in the top 20 worldwide, Vienna, the capital and most largest city of Austria, is also one of Europe's top 10 destination cities. It expects 6.05 million visitors this year -- a 6.8% increase over last year. (Photo by iStockphoto)

18- Riyadh

Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian capital expects 5.59 million visitors this year. Riyadh (Arabic: الرياض) which means [the gardens] is the capital and largest city of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is located in the historical regions of Najd and Yammama.

19- Tokyo

Tokyo, the capital city of Japan

The shrinking value of the yen is good news for international travelers to Japan. Tokyo- the capital and largest city of Japan- which is a major transportation hub, expects 5.38 million visitors in 2014.

20- Lima

Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru

Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru, is not itself a spectacular place for sightseeing. But it’s the international gateway for visitors to Machu Picchu, the 15th century “Lost City of the Incas.” Being the gateway to Machu Picchu it became the 20th most visited city in the world in 2014.

20 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2014 Part 1

Did you ever want to know about the cities in the world that are most visited. The cities that are the destinations of most travelers across the glob. Below we are going to share the 20 most visited cities of the year 2014. Having one thing very common- being destination of most travelers- all of these centers have different qualities and specialties-like tourism, business, political activities, hosting games and so on. 

We share this information with great gratitude towards Forbes.

1- London

London, the capital city of England

Whether it draws vistors for business or pleasure, London- the capital city of England- regained the top rank last year in the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, with an 8% growth in visitors.

2- Bangkok

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand

Political unrest seemed to be hurting Thai tourism. Bangkok-the capital of Thailand- only slipped one rank since last year, but experienced an 11% decline in visitors.

3- Paris

Paris, the capital city of France

Never mind that Paris-the capital of France- has a slow growth rate in the number of visitors -- just 1.8%. It's still a favorite city of many travelers.

4- Singapore

Singapore, the modern city State

With a population of less than 5 million, Singapore expects 12.47 million visitors this year -- a 3.1% increase over last year. Although it is a melting pot of cultures, including Indian, Chinese and Malay, English is the dominant language, and Westerners do not tend to experience the culture shock there that occurs elsewhere in the region.

5- Dubai

Dubai, the shopping capital of Middle East

Sometimes called the shopping capital of the Middle East, Dubai Shows strong growth, increasing their arrival numbers by 10.9% in 2013 and 7.5% in 2014.

6- New York

New York

In terms of overnight visitor spending, New York switched places with London in 2014. Visitors are expected to spend $18.57 billion in New York, versus $19.27 in London -- perhaps a function of the strength of the British pound right now. With the Empire State Building, NY cam be termed as the "capital of the world" and even after loosing the World Trade Center in 9/11 attacks, the landmark statue of liberty grabs attention of visitors from across the globe.

7- Istanbul

Istanbul, the capital city of Trkey

As a travel destination, Istanbul-the capital of Turkey, that is now no more "The Sick Man of Europe"- is a rising star, with sights like the Hagia Sophia mosque shown here. Last year's Mastercard survey project that If all top 10 destination cities maintain their current rates of growth in the next few years, then by 2016, Istanbul will surpass Singapore, New York and Paris in terms of international visitor arrivals.

8- Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, the new-and current- capital city of Malaysia

A construction boom has altered the cityscape of the downtown area of Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia. It expects 10.81 million visitors in 2014, making it No. 3 of the top 10 Asia/Pacific destination cities (after Bangkok and Singapore).

9- Hong Kong

Hong Kong, the third most expensive city in the world

Its majestic harbor beckons, with 8.84 million visitors expected this year. It's also the third most expensive city in the world, according to another survey.

10- Seoul

Seoul, the capital city of South Korea

Visitor spending pumps money into Seoul's economy; visitors are expected to spend $11.5 billion there in 2014 in Seoul, the capital of South Korea – an increase of 6.3% over the previous year.

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