Cities
The 100 Most Popular City Destinations
The 100 Most Popular City Destinations
The pandemic has grounded many of us, but it can’t curb human wanderlust.
Cities like Hong Kong, Bangkok, and London have led city destination rankings for years, but movement within the ranks below them—revealed in the above infographic—help to highlight the intriguing travel trends happening before COVID-19.
With data from Euromonitor International’s 2019 travel report, we can uncover where travelers are likely headed once their passports are useful again. Pulling data from 400 cities, collected into mid-2019, the report encompasses millions of international travelers who stayed at their destination longer than 24 hours.
Here’s a closer look at where travelers are likely to touch down in post-pandemic life.
Not-So-Lonely At the Top
Although the top of this list has remained fairly stable in terms of rank in recent years, two cities have seen an impressive influx of travelers.
Paris and Istanbul both made significant gains between 2017 and 2019 with 20.6% and 37.2% growth in visitors respectively:
Note that only one North American city, New York City, is found in this top 10. As well, Asian cities account for half of the leading group, with two of the top 10 cities are located in China. Although Hong Kong leads the top 100 list, political turmoil led to a marked decline of international visitors of 4.2% from 2017 to 2019.
The largest rank changes in the top 10 were made by Macau and Istanbul, but the rise was subtle. Both cities gained two spots each between 2013 and 2018, though each had sizable traveler growth rates, with Macau growing by 19.0%.
Rank | City | Country | Arrivals (Millions) | 5yr Rank Change | Growth ('17-19) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hong Kong | China (SAR) | 29.26 | — | -4.2% |
2 | Bangkok | Thailand | 24.17 | — | 15.1% |
3 | London | United Kingdom | 19.23 | — | -1.4% |
4 | Macau | China (SAR) | 18.93 | 2 | 19.0% |
5 | Singapore | Singapore | 18.55 | -1 | 12.2% |
6 | Paris | France | 17.56 | -1 | 20.6% |
7 | Dubai | UAE | 15.92 | — | 3.4% |
8 | New York City | US | 13.60 | 1 | 7.0% |
9 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 13.43 | 1 | 9.6% |
10 | Istanbul | Turkey | 13.43 | 2 | 37.2% |
11 | Delhi | India | 12.65 | 30 | 49.6% |
12 | Antalya | Turkey | 12.44 | -1 | 40.6% |
13 | Shenzhen | China | 12.20 | -5 | 2.0% |
14 | Mumbai | India | 10.59 | 28 | 38.5% |
15 | Phuket | Thailand | 10.55 | — | 8.4% |
16 | Rome | Italy | 10.07 | -3 | 8.3% |
17 | Tokyo | Japan | 9.99 | 15 | 9.3% |
18 | Pattaya | Thailand | 9.61 | -1 | 8.9% |
19 | Taipei | Taiwan, China | 9.60 | -1 | 7.7% |
20 | Mecca | Saudi Arabia | 9.57 | 1 | 0.3% |
21 | Guangzhou | China | 9.00 | -5 | 0.1% |
22 | Prague | Czechia | 8.95 | -3 | 3.9% |
23 | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 8.55 | 1 | 0.7% |
24 | Seoul | South Korea | 8.43 | -10 | 19.1% |
25 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 8.35 | 3 | 12.6% |
26 | Agra | India | 8.14 | 38 | 52.6% |
27 | Miami | US | 8.12 | -7 | 6.9% |
28 | Osaka | Japan | 7.86 | 69 | 36.2% |
29 | Los Angeles | US | 7.50 | -7 | 7.8% |
30 | Shanghai | China | 7.48 | -7 | 7.8% |
31 | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam | 7.20 | 6 | 31.6% |
32 | Denpasar | Indonesia | 7.19 | 13 | 37.5% |
33 | Barcelona | Spain | 6.71 | -6 | 11.6% |
34 | Las Vegas | US | 6.59 | -9 | -0.8% |
35 | Milan | Italy | 6.48 | -9 | 3.9% |
36 | Chennai | India | 6.42 | 7 | 55.8% |
37 | Vienna | Austria | 6.41 | -8 | 7.1% |
38 | Johor Bahru | Malaysia | 6.40 | 8 | 29.8% |
39 | Jaipur | India | 6.38 | 29 | 42.9% |
40 | Cancun | Mexico | 6.04 | 17 | 1.8% |
41 | Berlin | Germany | 5.96 | -10 | 10.1% |
42 | Cairo | Egypt | 5.75 | 18 | 55.1% |
43 | Athens | Greece | 5.73 | 18 | 31.3% |
44 | Orlando | US | 5.55 | -10 | 8.7% |
45 | Moscow | Russia | 5.51 | -10 | 24.4% |
46 | Venice | Italy | 5.50 | -16 | 5.3% |
47 | Madrid | Spain | 5.44 | -8 | 6.3% |
48 | Ha Long | Vietnam | 5.29 | 14 | 44.0% |
49 | Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | 5.27 | -9 | 0.9% |
50 | Dublin | Ireland | 5.21 | -12 | 9.4% |
51 | Florence | Italy | 5.06 | -15 | 3.9% |
52 | Ha Noi | Vietnam | 4.69 | 21 | 19.3% |
53 | Toronto | Canada | 4.51 | — | 10.5% |
54 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 4.12 | -10 | 3.4% |
55 | Sydney | Australia | 4.09 | 1 | 12.1% |
56 | Munich | Germany | 4.06 | -7 | 11.0% |
57 | Jakarta | Indonesia | 4.03 | 17 | 30.9% |
58 | Beijing | China | 4.00 | -25 | 3.8% |
59 | St. Petersburg | Russia | 4.00 | -11 | 23.9% |
60 | Brussels | Belgium | 3.94 | -13 | 24.8% |
61 | Jerusalem | Israel | 3.93 | -9 | 27.0% |
62 | Budapest | Hungary | 3.82 | -7 | 10.4% |
63 | Lisbon | Portugal | 3.54 | 9 | 3.4% |
64 | Dammam | Saudi Arabia | 3.50 | -14 | 0.3% |
65 | Penang Island | Malaysia | 3.44 | -2 | 16.3% |
66 | Heraklion | Greece | 3.40 | -1 | -3.8% |
67 | Kyoto | Japan | 3.29 | 58 | 4.4% |
68 | Zhuhai | China | 3.26 | -9 | 4.4% |
69 | Vancouver | Canada | 3.21 | 13 | 13.3% |
70 | Chiang Mai | Thailand | 3.20 | 6 | 4.2% |
71 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 3.07 | 8 | 7.8% |
72 | San Francisco | US | 2.90 | -14 | 3.1% |
73 | Melbourne | Australia | 2.89 | 12 | 20.9% |
74 | Krakow | Poland | 2.85 | -8 | 3.9% |
75 | Marrakech | Morocco | 2.84 | 2 | 13.1% |
76 | Kolkatta | India | 2.83 | 14 | 22.3% |
77 | Cebu | Philippines | 2.81 | 51 | -4.2% |
78 | Auckland | New Zealand | 2.80 | 6 | 9.7% |
79 | Tel Aviv | Israel | 2.78 | -8 | 16.0% |
80 | Guilin | China | 2.75 | 29 | 19.7% |
81 | Honolulu | US | 2.74 | -11 | 6.0% |
82 | Hurgada | Egypt | 2.74 | 45 | 108.1% |
83 | Warsaw | Poland | 2.73 | -16 | 7.2% |
84 | Mugla | Turkey | 2.72 | -33 | 47.5% |
85 | Buenos Aires City | Argentina | 2.69 | -31 | 8.6% |
86 | Chiba | Japan | 2.68 | 106 | 14.4% |
87 | Frankfurt | Germany | 2.64 | -7 | 9.2% |
88 | Stockholm | Sweden | 2.60 | — | 10.1% |
89 | Lima | Peru | 2.54 | -11 | 17.5% |
90 | Da Nang | Vietnam | 2.51 | 72 | 44.0% |
91 | Batam | Indonesia | 2.49 | 20 | 27.8% |
92 | Nice | France | 2.47 | -17 | 10.7% |
93 | Fukuoka | Japan | 2.44 | 104 | 24.6% |
94 | Abu Dhabi | UAE | 2.40 | 12 | 14.7% |
95 | Jeju | South Korea | 2.35 | -8 | -6.2% |
96 | Porto | Portugal | 2.34 | 22 | 11.7% |
97 | Rhodes | Greece | 2.34 | -11 | 10.6% |
98 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 2.28 | -7 | 3.6% |
99 | Krabi | Thailand | 2.26 | -5 | 12.7% |
100 | Bangalore | India | 2.24 | 83 | 50.6% |
It’s also worth noting that based on the data collected into 2019, London was projected to continue its downward trend, bringing it to 5th spot—mostly due to complications brought on by Brexit and associated visa restrictions.
Trending: Indian and Japanese Cities Take Flight
Most of the dramatic shifts in city travel patterns are happening below the top 10. Asian hot spots are gaining steam and swiftly making their way up the top 100 rankings, signaling a shift in global preferences before lockdowns began.
Take Japan for instance. The five Japanese cities in the top 100 rose by 352 places collectively since 2013. The country’s top city destinations have had an average traveler growth rate of 17.8% from 2017 to 2019. In light of Japan’s impeccable containment of COVID-19, that trend may be compounded in coming years.
Japan’s dramatic rise in the ranks is echoed by India. India’s seven cities in the top 100 have risen 229 places — with a huge average growth rate of 44.6% from 2017 to 2019. Some of that growth is the result of lifestyle tourism, particularly in the case of Delhi, which saw its traveler rate grow by 49.6% since 2017.
Prior to the pandemic, Delhi was expected to continue that steady growth and experience a leap in rank, which currently sits at 11.
With health and wellness tourism on the rise, India has gained noteworthy attention for its yoga retreats and Ayurveda practices. Delhi’s connectivity to important locations across North India has boosted inbound arrivals to the city.
— Euromonitor International
Where in the World? Asia and Europe
Asia continues to lead all other regions, followed by Europe.
Since 2013, the number of Asian cities in the top 100 has grown from 34 to 43. Asian outbound travel has also seen a surge, spurring a rise in travel campaigns from Europe and the Americas that target Asian travelers on social media platforms like WeChat.
Why the Ranking Matters: In Travel, They Trust
Before the pandemic, tourism was considered a leading and resilient economic sector.
In 2019, 1.5 billion people traveled internationally. By 2030, that number could grow to 1.8 billion—and many cities could become increasingly reliant on tourist dollars.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, cities like Macau, Cancun, Marrakech, and Las Vegas are all heavily dependent on direct tourism and travel contributions to their respective GDPs. As of 2018, more than 50% of Macau’s GDP was derived directly from tourism, while almost half of Cancun’s GDP relies on travelers.
Countries like India and the Philippines are also particularly reliant on travel. India has a related job-to-tourist ratio of two jobs for every tourist and the Philippines has a ratio of one job per tourist.
By 2030, there could be 1.8 billion tourists – just over one in five persons in the world–traveling around the globe.
— United Nations World Tourism Organization
Where to Next? Wheels Up
Millions of travelers don’t lie — the siren call of cities is undeniable. In turn, those tourists have become a major lifeforce for many of these destinations, and a boon for the international travel industry.
The pandemic has thrown these dynamics off course, with much of the world grinding to a halt since early 2020. However, it’s only a matter of time before the world opens back up again.
Although travel may look very different in the future, wanderlust doesn’t simply disappear. In fact, frustrated travelers — including digital nomads and remote workers — may have all the more reason to run away.
Demographics
Mapped: The Population of India’s States Compared with Countries
This map juxtaposes nations and Indian states to provide a new perspective on the world’s soon-to-be most populous country

The Population of India’s States Compared with Countries
In a world with eight billion people, even the numbers of the largest population centers like China and India can start to lose their impact.
The visualization above looks to give people a different frame of reference to think about the country’s massive population figures.
The Population Breakdown
Similar to other big countries, the gap between India’s largest and smallest states is quite wide.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous country subdivision in the world at 232 million people, while Sikkim, in the northeast of the country, is the least populated state in India (0.7 million).
Here are India’s 28 states and 8 union territories compared to other countries and territories with comparable sizes:
State | Population (2022) | Country | Population (2022) |
---|---|---|---|
Uttar Pradesh | 232M | 🇧🇷 Brazil + 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 234M |
Bihar | 129M | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 132M |
Maharashtra | 125M | 🇯🇵 Japan | 126M |
West Bengal | 101M | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 107M |
Madhya Pradesh | 85M | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 87M |
Tamil Nadu | 84M | 🇩🇪 Germany | 84M |
Rajasthan | 80M | 🇺🇦 Ukraine + 🇵🇱 Poland | 81M |
Gujarat | 70M | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 70M |
Karnataka | 70M | 🇬🇧 UK | 69M |
Andhra Pradesh | 54M | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 55M |
Odisha | 47M | 🇪🇸 Spain | 47M |
Jharkhand | 40M | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 42M |
Telangana | 38M | 🇲🇾 Malaysia + 🇸🇬 Singapore | 39M |
Assam | 36M | 🇨🇦 Canada | 39M |
Kerala | 35M | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 36M |
Chhattisgarh | 32M | 🇵🇪 Peru | 34M |
Punjab | 31M | 🇦🇺 Australia + 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 31M |
Haryana | 29M | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 28M |
Delhi | 19M | 🇷🇴 Romania | 19M |
Jammu and Kashmir | 15M | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 15M |
Uttarakhand | 12M | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 12M |
Himachal Pradesh | 7.5M | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 7.6M |
Tripura | 4.2M | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 4.0M |
Meghalaya | 3.8M | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 3.7M |
Manipur | 3.4M | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 3.5M |
Nagaland | 2.1M | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 2.1M |
Puducherry | 1.6M | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 1.8M |
Arunachal Pradesh | 1.7M | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 1.8M |
Goa | 1.5M | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 1.5M |
Mizoram | 1.3M | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 1.3M |
Chandigarh | 1.2M | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 1.3M |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu | 0.8M | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 0.8M |
Sikkim | 0.7M | 🇲🇴 Macao | 0.7M |
Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 0.4M | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 0.4M |
Lakshadweep | 0.07M | 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 0.07M |
Hypothetically, if India’s states were to all became countries today, they would take up half the spots in a ranking of the world’s top 20 most populous countries.
A number of Indian states match up evenly against some very large countries, including Maharashtra (Japan), West Bengal (Egypt), and Tamil Nadu (Germany). Of course, the largest is Uttar Pradesh (Brazil+Chile), which also happens to measure up to neighboring Pakistan.
For people living in countries such as Canada or Australia, it may be humbling to know that these countries are equal to a smallish Indian state.
The Big Get Bigger
According to United Nations projections, India is on track to become the most populous country in the world in 2023.
The population of India’s growth is fueled by several factors, including declining mortality rates, increased life expectancy, and high birth rates. While India’s population growth has slowed in recent years due to factors such as urbanization and increasing access to contraception, the country’s population is still expected to continue growing at a significant rate for the foreseeable future.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Population projections for India are from indiacensus.net. Population figures for comparison countries are from the UN’s World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision (medium-fertility variant), accessed via Worldometers‘ live tracker. All population figures shown are 2022 projections.
Data note: Because there are only so many countries, the populations of comparison countries may not perfectly match that of the various Indian states and union territories. Numbers are rounded.
Map note: A number of borders and regions in India are disputed with other countries. Our depiction of borders is a good faith, apolitical attempt at reflecting the “de facto” situation in each region.
-
Datastream4 days ago
Ranked: The Top Online Music Services in the U.S. by Monthly Users
-
Automotive2 weeks ago
The Most Fuel Efficient Cars From 1975 to Today
-
Datastream1 day ago
Super-Sized Bets for Football’s Big Game (2013-2022)
-
Technology4 weeks ago
Prediction Consensus: What the Experts See Coming in 2023
-
VC+2 weeks ago
Get VC+ Before Prices Increase on February 1st
-
Technology10 hours ago
Ranked: America’s 20 Biggest Tech Layoffs Since 2020
-
Energy4 weeks ago
Mapped: Biggest Sources of Electricity by State and Province
-
Economy2 weeks ago
The $16 Trillion European Union Economy