Asian cities gain ground in Euromonitor’s ‘Top 100’ cities to visit

Paris is, once again, the best city to visit in the world, according to Euromonitor International.

The city topped the market research company’s annual list of the “Top 100 City Destinations” which compares cities using 55 metrics across six categories: economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability.

Dubai placed second on list, followed by Madrid (No. 3) and Tokyo (No. 4) — with Japan’s capital entering the top 10 list for the first time “thanks to improved developments in [its] tourism infrastructure,” according to the report.

The weakening of Japan’s currency, the yen — which has fallen some 14% against the U.S. dollar this year — also “attracted tourists to the city, boosting hotel occupancy, to enjoy consumer experiences at very low prices,” it said.

Developed markets continue to lead the rankings, as shown by the top 20 cities on Euromonitor’s 2023 index:

1.    Paris, France
2.    Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3.    Madrid, Spain
4.    Tokyo, Japan
5.    Amsterdam, Netherlands
6.    Berlin, Germany
7.    Rome, Italy
8.    New York City, United States
9.    Barcelona, Spain
10.  London, United Kingdom
11.  Singapore, Singapore
12.  Munich, Germany
13.  Milan, Italy
14.  Seoul, South Korea
15.  Dublin, Ireland
16.  Osaka, Japan
17.  Hong Kong
18.  Vienna, Austria
19.  Los Angeles, United States
20.  Lisbon, Portugal

The full list is dominated by European cities, which took seven of the top 10 spots, and 63 of the top 100 spots. That’s thanks to the “fast-paced urbanisation and widespread technology adoption” in the region, according to the report.

But Asian cities are gaining ground, showing significant improvement from Euromonitor’s 2022 ranking.

Tokyo is also the only Asian city in the top 10 list, though the city-state of Singapore is close at No. 11 — edging up four places from No. 15 on 2022’s list.

Five Japanese cities made 2023’s top 100 list: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo and Fukuoka.

The report highlighted cities that stood out in some of the 55 categories they were evaluated for.

• Madrid ranked first for sustainability, with the report highlighting the city’s “100% petrol-free public transport.”
• London has the “best tourism infrastructure” in the world, with Six Senses, Rosewood, Park Hyatt, Oberoi and Mandarin Oriental planning to open new hotels in the city.
• Singapore ranked No. 1 for economic and business performance, and political stability.
• Macao ranked first for health and safety, while Hong Kong led the rankings for health and medical services.  

In addition, four new cities made this year’s list: Washington (No. 48), Montreal (No. 68), Santiago, Chile, (No. 88) and Vilnius, Lithuania (No. 92), owing to their improved tourism performances, the report said.