City Breaks: Three Greek entries among World’s Top City Destinations in 2018

Three Greek cities, Athens, Heraklion and Rhodes are among the World’s Top City Destinations in 2018.

Global market research company Euromonitor International released the “Top 100 City Destinations 2018” ranking report, covering the world’s leading cities ranked by international tourist arrivals.

Athens climbed a spot in relation to last year's listing, and ranked 49th with 5.13 million international arrivals in 2018, 7% higher than in 2017.

Heraklion, ranked 68th with 3.3 million international arrivals in 2018, 8% higher than those in 2017, remaining at the same position as last year.

Finally, Rhodes ranked 99th with 2.2 million international arrivals, up by 4,7% compared to last year.

The ranking shows that six out of the top 10 most visited cities in 2017 are in Asia, with Hong Kong and Bangkok as the top two performers with Singapore, Macau, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen in the global top 10.

Euromonitor International Travel Research Consultant Wouter Geerts comments, “Asia continues its rise, accounting for 41 out of the top 100 cities globally in 2018, in comparison to 37 cities in 2012, with cities in Japan and India standing out for their strong growth in international arrivals.”

While Asian cities are the clear winners, cities in the Middle East and Africa region, such as Jerba, Sousse and Sharm el Sheikh have dropped out of the ranking in the past few years, mainly due to terrorist attacks and subsequent slumping demand. In contrast, strong growth was registered by Turkish cities, as the country rebounded from a turbulent 2016.

This year’s report also highlights three cities that joined the ranking for the first time:

Batam

Batam, in Indonesia, rose 31 positions since 2012 and strengths the group of Asian cities among the most visited cities in the world. The upward trend should continue, and the city is forecasted to see a 12 percent increase in inbound arrivals in 2018.

Santiago

Chile features the ranking for the first time as its capital presented a healthy 18 percent growth in inbound arrivals last year, rising 17 positions in the ranking since 2012 to become the 93rd most visited city globally.

Porto

After winning Europe’s Leading Destination 2018 at the World Travel Awards, Portugal is again on the spotlight as Porto make the top 100 ranking for the first time, rising 42 positions in the ranking since 2012.

Geerts concludes, “Global inbound arrivals are expected to grow by 5 percent to 1.4 billion trips in 2018. At the same time, arrivals to this year’s top 100 city destinations are set to grow by 7.5 percent. This indicated that top cities are outperforming global arrivals growth, with city hubs extending their importance for the global travel industry.”

Read more at blog.euromonitor.com

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