International travel is seeing a strong recovery post-pandemic, with about 1.3 billion trips recorded in 2023–generating around $1.7 trillion in global tourism spending.
The return of Chinese international travel after the removal of governmental quarantine, was a major boost to international tourism last year and is expected to accelerate in 2024.
UN Tourism predicts that Chinese tourism will continue to increase accelerate this year with the country implementing visa-free travel for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia for a year.
This graphic shows the 10 most visited cities in 2023, based on the total number of international arrivals, according to Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023.
Which Cities Were The Most Popular With Tourists?
Two cities in Türkiye made the top 10 list: Istanbul, the country’s cultural and historic capital and the most populous city in Europe, and Antalya, a picturesque coastal city on the Mediterranean coast, famous for its beautiful beaches and luxury resorts.
City Country International arrivals in 2023 (millions) Growth from 2022 to 2023
🇹🇷 Istanbul Türkiye 20.2 26%
🇬🇧 London UK 18.8 17%
🇦🇪 Dubai United Arab Emirates 16.8 18%
🇹🇷 Antalya Türkiye 16.5 29%
🇫🇷 Paris France 15.5 4%
🇭🇰 Hong Kong China 14.7 2495%
🇹🇭 Bangkok Thailand 12.2 142%
🇺🇸 New York U.S. 11.7 24%
🇲🇽 Cancún Mexico 10.8 13%
🇸🇦 Mecca Saudi Arabia 10.8 124%
Türkiye was also the fifth most-visited country in 2023, welcoming 55 million visitors overall.
France topped the list at 100 million international visitors, and is expected to see similar or higher numbers in 2024 due to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Paris was the fifth-most visited city in 2023.
Asian cities like Hong Kong and Bangkok saw the biggest growth in tourists from 2022, having been the last countries to reopen after the pandemic. Hong Kong saw a staggering 2,495% increase in tourists in 2023.
Cancún, one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations known for its beaches and luxury resorts, was the only Latin American city to make the top 10. In 2023, the Cancun International Airport captured 48% of all international air travellers in the country.
Credit: Visual Capitalist
