The World's Most Visited Cities

Istanbul was the world's most visited city in 2023, according to data by Euromonitor International. With more than 20 million people arriving, the Turkish city saw an 26 percent increase of visitors from 2022. It was followed by London with 18.8 million arrivals and Dubai with 16.8 million arrivals in 2023. Arrivals here refer to international visitors staying for at least 24 hours, for a period not exceeding 12 months. Each arrival is counted separately and includes people traveling more than once a year and people visiting several countries during one trip.

Hong Kong and Bangkok stand out for seeing the biggest year-on-year growth in international arrivals of the countries listed, up 2,495 percent and 142 percent, respectively. According to Euromonitor International, this is largely due to both places being among the last to reopen after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Another key trend highlighted by the organization as tourism rebounds from the Covid-19 crisis is that of over-tourism. “Some destinations are imposing restrictions, steep taxation or reduction of hotel capacity to help limit the influx of tourists and preserve cultural heritage, while others embrace dispersion strategies that promote alternative or off-the-beaten-path destinations", Nadejda Popova, a senior manager at Euromonitor International, said. "Seen by many as a double-edged sword, overtourism underscores the importance of implementing sustainable practices to help drive more responsible tourism over mass travel to benefit the environment as well as local residents.”

Overtourism is a challenge for many cities around the world with respective authorities taking action in various ways, whether that’s introducing a 5-euro ‘tourist tax’ for day visitors in Venice or constructing a barrier to hide Mount Fuji in the Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko to stop tourists from blocking the road while taking photos.