While the world’s top cities have plenty of unique and defining features, there are several things they have in common, too. From vibrant arts and cultural scenes and diverse populations, to ever-changing culinary offerings and impressive public spaces, the buzz of a city is hard to match. But according to Euromonitor International’s annual ranking, Dubai is officially one of the best cities in the world.
The market research platform has released its list of the Top 100 City Destinations in 2023. It analyses cities based on more than 55 metrics across six key pillars, including economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability.
Dubai was ranked at number 2 in the list, beaten only by Paris, which was named the world’s best city for the second year in a row. The City of Light came out on top thanks to its “exceptional performance across the tourism policy and attractiveness, tourism infrastructure and tourism performance pillars”, said Nadejda Popova, senior manager (loyalty) at Euromonitor International.
Dubai ranked second overall, and was also noted for its growth of international arrivals in 2023, with 16.8 million, up by 18 per cent. Istanbul saw the most arrivals with 20.2 million, up 26 per cent, followed by London with 18.8 million, up 17 per cent.
Madrid was named third in the overall list, followed by Tokyo at number four and Amsterdam at number five. Overall, European cities had the strongest rankings, accounting for seven of the top 10, and 63 of the top 100.
Asian cities also had a strong presence, with five cities, including Singapore, Seoul, Osaka and Hong Kong in the top 20.
The top 20 cities in 2023
- Paris, France
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Madrid, Spain
- Tokyo, Japan
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Berlin, Germany
- Rome, Italy
- New York, United States of America
- Barcelona, Spain
- London, United Kingdom
- Singapore, Singapore
- Munich, Germany
- Milan, Italy
- Seoul, South Korea
- Dublin, Ireland
- Osaka, Japan
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- Vienna, Austria
- Los Angeles, United States of America
- Lisbon, Portugal
Cities appearing on the list for the first time this year include Washington DC at 48, Montreal at 68, Santiago in Chile in 88th place and Lithuania’s Vilnius at 92.
Ranking at 100 is Oman’s capital, Muscat, with Cairo in 99th place.
The report also showed positive growth for the travel industry as a whole, with international travel up 38 per cent in terms of number of trips, projected to reach $1.6 billion by the end of the year.
