by (CNN) — Europe has won the tourism game in 2022, says a new report from a UK-based market research firm called – without prejudice – Euromonitor.
Each year, its annual report compares the attractiveness of 100 cities around the world across six categories – or “pillars” – including tourism policy and performance, sustainability, infrastructure, health and safety, and economic performance.
The new report, obtained exclusively by CNN, praises the French capital as “the best-performing destination in the world”, thanks to its “outstanding performance in terms of tourism policy and attractiveness, tourism infrastructure and pillars of tourism performance”.
‘Good year’
Globally, inbound arrivals have increased by more than 80% in terms of number of trips this year.
“Although 2022 was a good year for the travel sector, the road to full post-pandemic recovery is long and government support remains vital across all regions,” Euromonitor said. He pointed to the sharp rise in inflation, worsening economic conditions and the war in Ukraine as factors that could affect the speed of tourism recovery.
Asia is the one to watch
New York was the highest ranked city outside of Europe and the Middle East.
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A total of 40 European cities feature in the rankings, with Italy (six cities), Spain (five cities) and Greece (four cities) being the big winners in Western Europe.
Amsterdam was in third place, Madrid in fourth, Rome in fifth and London has moved up two places this year to no. moved up one spot to no. 9.
New York finished in last place in the top 10, though the report noted that US cities have shown a “strong rebound in tourism performance” overall.
Asia had a mixed performance regionally due to Covid-related travel restrictions, but Asian cities made some of the biggest jumps in performance. Singapore jumped 30 places to the top of the list and was praised by Euromonitor for being “the most business-friendly destination, with simplified taxation and a large proportion of skilled employees”.
Africa and the Middle East performed best in terms of health and safety.
Intra-regional travel, the easing of Covid-related restrictions and the rebound in international travel were all key factors in the attractiveness of cities that shined in 2022.
However, Euromonitor said, “Asia is the region to watch in 2023 as the return of international travel, both inbound and outbound, is sure to shake up the charts.”
Euromonitor 2022 Top 10 City Destinations Index:
1. Paris
2.Dubai
3.Amsterdam
4. Madrid
5. Rome
6. London
7. Munich
8. Berlin
9. Barcelona
10. New York
