World’s top 10 most-visited cities by international arrivals in 2025: Asia strengthens its presence; best cities to travel in 2026 revealed
Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World by International Visitors in 2025: Bangkok remained the most-visited city, welcoming 30.3 million international arrivals in 2025.
List of Most Visited Cities in 2025 by International Visitors: In 2025, global travel and tourism rebounded, showcasing resilience amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties and experiencing significant growth, with over 1.1 billion international tourists recorded in the first nine months—an increase of 3 to 5 per cent in arrivals compared to 2024 and 2019, according to the November edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.
Standing at 4th, Macau saw the highest growth in inbound trips with 14 per cent in 2025.
Notably, Asia—due to visa relaxations, high-profile cultural and sporting events, and infrastructure development projects—strengthened its presence among the world’s most-visited cities, with international arrivals growing by 10 per cent to 350 million, according to the report.
The top 100 cities saw 702 million international arrivals, an 8 per cent growth this year. It collectively accounted for 46 per cent of global inbound tourism, outpacing the overall 4 per cent growth.
Top 10 most-visited cities in the world 2025: Ranked by international arrivals
Top 10 Most-Visited Cities by International Arrivals
2025 Rankings | Euromonitor International
#1
Bangkok
Thailand
30.3MInternational Trips-7%
#2
Hong Kong
China (SAR)
23.2MInternational Trips+6%
#3
London
United Kingdom
22.7MInternational Trips+4%
#4
Macau
China (SAR)
20.4MInternational Trips+14%
#5
Istanbul
Türkiye
19.7MInternational Trips+6%
#6
Dubai
UAE
19.5MInternational Trips+7%
#7
Mecca
Saudi Arabia
18.7MInternational Trips+7%
#8
Antalya
Türkiye
18.6MInternational Trips+8%
#9
Paris
France
18.3MInternational Trips+4%
#10
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
17.3MInternational Trips+5%
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Top 10 best cities in the world to travel in 2026:
For the fifth consecutive year, Paris has been topping Euromonitor’s list of the best cities in the world to visit, as well as in the forthcoming year.
Story continues below this ad
The French capital notably stands out for its world-class tourism infrastructure, cultural influence and sustainability initiatives, the report highlighted.
Europe remains dominant at the top of the rankings, with Madrid holding second place for the second consecutive year; Rome and Milan maintained fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager – Content at The Indian Express. She leads the Top 10 section, curating list-based features on key national and international developments, and manages daily news content. She also produces SEO-driven articles and collaborates with the Lifestyle team to conduct interviews with notable artists and write workplace culture features. ... Read More