On September 11, István Ujhelyi, expert from the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), released the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2024–2025) at the World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference. The report unveiled the 2024–2025 comprehensive ranking of world tourism cities. The top three cities were New York, Tokyo, and Paris. Among Chinese cities, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong ranked 7th, 9th, and 11th, respectively, with Beijing moving up one spot compared to last year. Within the top 20 cities, eight were from the Asia-Pacific region, five from the Americas, five from Europe, and two from the Middle East. No African cities made the list.
Based on the overall comprehensive ranking and changes over the past three years, new trends in the development of global tourism cities have emerged:
1. Asian tourism cities lead in inbound visitor growth, with steady rises in comprehensive rankings.
China has continued to optimize its inbound travel policies, accelerating the recovery of international tourism. Measures such as expanding visa-free entry and extending permitted stays have significantly boosted inbound tourist numbers in key cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Japan's market, supported by factors such as a weak yen and an increase in Chinese visitors, maintained a high ranking.
2. European tourism shows strong growth, driven by regional demand and major events.
Major international sports events, such as the UEFA European Football Championship and the Paris Olympics, have been core drivers of European tourism. Regional travel demand continues to support the recovery and growth of Europe's tourism market. Europe remains the world's largest tourism market, with American and Chinese tourists playing a crucial role in its growth—a trend expected to continue. Many Chinese enterprises have become top tourism management players, competitively facilitating 40% of travel from Asia to Europe.
3. Middle Eastern tourism growth slows, with increasing divergence among destinations.
Only two Middle Eastern cities ranked among the top 20. Competition within the region is intensifying, leading to a noticeable divergence among destinations. Dubai, a traditionally strong performer, dropped in the 2024 comprehensive ranking, indicating transformation pressure on its tourism model.
4. Americas tourism relies on strong domestic demand, while international visitor recovery remains weak.
The U.S. tourism market is increasingly dependent on domestic demand, driving overall growth in the Americas. In 2024, domestic tourism accounted for nearly 90% of travel spending, a record high, boosting recovery in related industries such as hospitality, transportation, and retail across the country. However, a sharp decline in inbound visitors from key source markets, lagging policy responses, and a lack of systematic international promotion have reduced its appeal to international tourists.
5. Global tourism recovery accelerates, with evolving travel patterns and preferences.
The recovery of cross-border travel is noticeably speeding up, becoming a major driver of global tourism economic growth. International travelers' habits and preferences continue to evolve, shifting from pre-pandemic frequent short trips to “fewer trips, longer stays, and deeper experiences.” High-value-added tourism products, such as cultural tours, eco-outdoor activities, wellness retreats, and culinary studies, are growing in popularity.
The report noted that for the 2024–2025 period, WTCF tracked and analyzed 100 representative major tourism cities, including 67 member cities and 33 non-member cities. A comprehensive development ranking was conducted based on historical comparisons.
WTCF specially designed an evaluation index for tourism city development, consisting of six dimensions: city popularity, industry prosperity, urban intelligence, travel safety, economic contribution, and visitor satisfaction. The framework includes 32 sub-indices and 61 component indicators. The weightings of these indicators were determined through Delphi method scoring by WTCF experts, ensuring that the evaluation accurately reflects the latest trends in the tourism industry.
Source: China.org.cn
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Bao Gang
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
