Data analytics company Euromonitor International recently conducted a survey and as per that, only one Indian city made it to the list of top 100 cities in the world. Can you guess which Indian city is that? Well, it’s the capital of our nation Delhi. Delhi secured the 74th position in the list. Interestingly, Paris retained its title as the most attractive city in the world for the fourth year in a row. The report stated that Paris maintains unmatched global dominance in 2024, with over 17 million inbound arrivals.

Wondering what were the parameters based on which the cities were evaluated? Well, there were 55 metrics that were spread across six key pillars: economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability. After factoring in all these things, cities were assessed. This time round, there was a spike in the number of non-European cities that made it to the list of top 100, with 9 European cities making it to the top 20. It was followed by the Asia-Pacific region with six cities, two in North America, one in the Middle East and Africa, and two in Australasia.

Worldwide, International arrivals saw a 19% jump in 2024, thanks to a boost in tourism sector. Europe remained the most visited region, with 793 million international trips that year. Bangkok attracted 32 million people from world over in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic international tourism levels in 2023.

Nadejda Popova, global head of loyalty at Euromonitor International, said, “In 2024, global cities increasingly leveraged sports and cultural events to boost tourism revenues. Infrastructure improvements and continuous marketing have attracted travellers’ attention, creating further growth opportunities.” She also added that, “Renewed concerns about overtourism are rising. In response, destinations continue to impose higher taxes and entry fees, promote year-round tourism, reward sustainable practices, and adopt GenAI solutions.”

Interestingly, international tourism spending totalled to $1.9 trillion in 2024. The global average spend per arrival is expected to reach $1,264 by 2030. From 2024 to 2030, inbound average spending per trip is expected to show the highest growth in markets such as the Netherlands, China, and Poland. The US, Turkey, and China are expected to see the highest volume growth of international arrivals by 2030, the report stated.

Also, Singapore has dominated the Economic and Business Performance pillar since the introduction of the Top 100 City Destinations Index and is renowned as the world’s freest economy.