Top 10 most visited cities in the world

For the second consecutive year, Mastercard * has ranked the world cities that will be the most visited this year by foreign tourists . In 2011, London had finished at the top of this top.

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1 – London, England

She was already the most visited city in 2011, according to the same poll. London wins the prize for the most explored city with 16.9 million visitors expected in 2012. Last year, it welcomed 20 million tourists . To believe that the sporting event of the year, the Olympic Games, has only confirmed the good figures of the English capital.

2 – Paris, France

In second place, we find Paris. In all, 16 million visitors are expected to visit the City of Light this year, up from 18 million in 2011.

3- Bangkok, Thailand

The two European cities are well ahead of the third. Bangkok is expected to total “only” 12.2 million visitors in 2012 . About 11 million foreign tourists went there last year.

4 – Singapore, Singapore

At the foot of the podium is a second Asian city. Singapore is expected to receive 11.8 million visitors . The symbol of economic success had welcomed just over 11 million tourists in 2011 .

5 – Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul exceeds for the first time the 10 million foreign visitors, with 11.6 million . It is in leap for the city that was called Constantinople since it wins 2 positions compared to 2011. Last year, it had received 9 million foreigners .

6 – Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is the last city to overcome the 10 million mark. The giant city is expected to welcome 11.1 million visitors this year. This very rich region has lost a place in the ranking. In 2011, it received 11 million tourists .

7 – Madrid, Spain

Let’s go back to Europe. Madrid, which has a reputation as a young city, welcomed 9.7 million tourists . It’s a little less than last year ( 10 million ).

8 – Dubai, Dubai

One of the most luxurious cities is in eighth place. After welcoming nearly 8 million visitors in 2011, the “gold city” Dubai has surpassed this bar to reach 8.8 million tourists .

9 – Frankfurt, Germany

This is the last European city to appear in this top. Frankfurt, the world’s economic center, was visited by 8.1 million foreign tourists . This figure is similar to 2011.

10 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Finally, a new entry finishes this top 10. Kuala Lumpur should receive this year 8.1 million tourists . They will be able to see the Petronas towers, which until 2004 were the tallest towers in the world.

* MasterCard conducts this study from air links between major cities, airline ticket bookings, spending trends in each of these cities and taking into account that some cities are hubs where international passengers are stopping. ).

Strangely enough, no American city is included in this ranking. The top 10 dedicated to the most visited cities in the world is over. You can leave us your comments and / or impressions . Next week, a new top trip will see the light of day.

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