Bangkok had the most international overnight visitors in 2018 with 22.78 million, followed by Paris and London with 19.1 and 19.09 million, respectively.
Is Bangkok the world’s number one tourist destination?
Globally, the tourism industry has experienced continuous year-over-year growth for the past decade. In 2018, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide was estimated to reach approximately 1.4 billion – the figure having more than doubled over the past 15 years.
Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors
(in millions)
Characteristic
Number of international overnight visitors in millions
Bangkok
22.78
Paris
19.1
London
19.09
Dubai
15.93
Singapore
14.67
Kuala Lumpur
13.79
New York
13.6
Istanbul
13.4
Tokyo
12.93
Antalya
12.41
Seoul
11.25
Osaka
10.14
Makkah
10
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Number of international overnight visitors in millions22.7822.7819.119.119.0919.0915.9315.9314.6714.6713.7913.7913.613.613.413.412.9312.9312.4112.4111.2511.2510.1410.1410109.899.899.449.449.19.19.099.098.968.968.268.268.238.23BangkokParisLondonDubaiSingaporeKuala LumpurNew YorkIstanbulTokyoAntalyaSeoulOsakaMakkahPhuketPattayaMilanBarcelonaPalma de MallorcaBaliHong Kong
02468101214161820222426
Add this content to your personal favorites. These can be accessed from the favorites menu in the main navigation.
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
Statista has been my savior on several occasions.
The site is easy to maneuver and the data is in a format that can
go right into a report or presentation.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
MasterCard. (September 4, 2019). Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 24, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/
MasterCard. "Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors (in millions)." Chart. September 4, 2019. Statista. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/
MasterCard. (2019). Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 24, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/
MasterCard. "Leading City Destinations Worldwide in 2018, by Number of Overnight Visitors (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 4 Sep 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/
MasterCard, Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/ (last visited February 24, 2025)
Leading city destinations worldwide in 2018, by number of overnight visitors (in millions) [Graph], MasterCard, September 4, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/310355/overnight-visitors-to-top-city-destinations-worldwide/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.