• 2 LONDON – 19.88 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $19.8 billion. Niklas Halle’n / AFP
    2 LONDON – 19.88 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $19.8 billion. Niklas Halle’n / AFP
  • 3 PARIS – 18.03 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.9 billion. Philippe-Emmanuel Chassaing
    3 PARIS – 18.03 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.9 billion. Philippe-Emmanuel Chassaing
  • 4 DUBAI – 15.27 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $31.3 billion. Karim Sahib / AFP
    4 DUBAI – 15.27 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $31.3 billion. Karim Sahib / AFP
  • 5 NEW YORK – 12.75 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $18.5 billion. Mark Lennihan / AP Photo
    5 NEW YORK – 12.75 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $18.5 billion. Mark Lennihan / AP Photo
  • 6 SINGAPORE – 12.11 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.5 billion. Sam Kang Li / Bloomberg
    6 SINGAPORE – 12.11 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.5 billion. Sam Kang Li / Bloomberg
  • 7 KUALA LUMPUR – 12.02 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $11.3 billion. Vincent Thian / AP Photo
    7 KUALA LUMPUR – 12.02 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $11.3 billion. Vincent Thian / AP Photo
  • 8 ISTANBUL – 11.95 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $7.5 billion. Chris McGrath / Getty Images
    8 ISTANBUL – 11.95 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $7.5 billion. Chris McGrath / Getty Images
  • 9 TOKYO – 11.70 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $13.5 billion. Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
    9 TOKYO – 11.70 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $13.5 billion. Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg
  • 10 SEOUL – 10.2 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.3 billion. Getty Images
    10 SEOUL – 10.2 million overnight visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $12.3 billion. Getty Images
  • RIYADH – second top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 4.59 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.7 billion. Waseem Obaidi / Bloomberg
    RIYADH – second top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 4.59 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.7 billion. Waseem Obaidi / Bloomberg
  • JOHANNESBURG – third top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 3.6 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.7 billion. Dean Hutton / Bloomberg
    JOHANNESBURG – third top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 3.6 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.7 billion. Dean Hutton / Bloomberg
  • ABU DHABI – fourth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 3.14 million visitors, up 15 per cent annually, which is the highest growth rate in the region. 2016 visitor spend: $2.6 billion. Ravindranath K / The National
    ABU DHABI – fourth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 3.14 million visitors, up 15 per cent annually, which is the highest growth rate in the region. 2016 visitor spend: $2.6 billion. Ravindranath K / The National
  • CAIRO – fifth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 1.55 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.1 billion. Manu Brabo / AP Photo
    CAIRO – fifth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 1.55 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $1.1 billion. Manu Brabo / AP Photo
  • TEHRAN – sixth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 1.52 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $0.3 billion. Raheb Homavandi / Reuters
    TEHRAN – sixth top destination city in Middle East & Africa with 1.52 million visitors. 2016 visitor spend: $0.3 billion. Raheb Homavandi / Reuters

Travel and Tourism

Top global destination cities 2016, by MasterCard – in pictures

Jake Badger

September 24, 2016

  • English
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Bangkok regained its crown as the world’s most popular travel destination in Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index for 2016, while Dubai kept its top rank among Middle East and African cities and ahead of Abu Dhabi, which registered the highest growth rate in the region.

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