Ask someone to name the world’s most visited city and Paris usually gets an early shout. London follows. New York enters the argument soon after. The latest international-arrivals ranking has a different winner: Bangkok.
Euromonitor International estimates that the Thai capital recorded 30.3 million international arrivals in 2025. Hong Kong came second with 23.2 million, while London placed third with 22.7 million. The full top ten is a revealing snapshot of why people travel: food, faith, beaches, business, shopping, family and the irresistible urge to photograph a skyline after dark. (Euromonitor)
The top 10 most visited cities at a glance
| Rank | City | Country or territory | Estimated international arrivals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangkok | Thailand | 30.3 million |
| 2 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 23.2 million |
| 3 | London | United Kingdom | 22.7 million |
| 4 | Macao (Macau) | Macao | 20.4 million |
| 5 | Istanbul | Türkiye | 19.7 million |
| 6 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 19.5 million |
| 7 | Makkah (Mecca) | Saudi Arabia | 18.7 million |
| 8 | Antalya | Türkiye | 18.6 million |
| 9 | Paris | France | 18.3 million |
| 10 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 17.3 million |
Source: Euromonitor’s 2025 City Destinations Index international-arrivals figures, also listed on Wikipedia’s cities by international visitors table. (Euromonitor) (Wikipedia)
Adding the top ten together gives 208.7 million arrivals, just under 30% of the 702 million trips estimated across the index’s top 100 cities. (Euromonitor)
The ranking
10. Kuala Lumpur: 17.3 million arrivals
Some cities announce themselves with one monument. Kuala Lumpur does it with a pair. The Petronas Twin Towers provide the postcard, but the Malaysian capital makes more sense at street level. Jalan Alor fills with food stalls after dark, Petaling Street hums, and mosques, Hindu temples and Chinese shrines sit within a city shaped by Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures.
Tourism Malaysia presents Kuala Lumpur as a multicultural capital with a particularly strong food identity. That combination gives it far more staying power than the word “stopover” suggests. The towers get the photograph. Dinner often gets the better story. (Malaysia Travel Brochures)
9. Paris: 18.3 million arrivals
Paris is ninth. Yes, ninth. That does not mean the French capital is losing its grip on travellers. It actually ranks first in Euromonitor’s wider city index, which considers far more than arrival numbers. (Euromonitor)
The UNESCO-listed banks of the Seine collect an absurd number of famous sights into one river corridor: Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower. Few cities let a river do so much of the sightseeing. (UNESCO World Heritage Centre) The monuments bring first-time visitors. The neighbourhoods, cafés, museums and small rituals of daily life give people reasons to return.
Image: Eiffel Tower and the Seine by ThePromenader, CC BY-SA 3.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
8. Antalya: 18.6 million arrivals
Antalya is where the ranking starts to look less like a list of famous capitals and more like a list of places people genuinely spend their holidays. The Mediterranean coast, resort hotels and turquoise bays offer the easy pleasures. Kaleiçi, the marina and the old Roman harbour add history, while ancient sites such as Side, Perge and Aspendos sit within reach.
GoTürkiye describes the Turkish Riviera around Antalya as a coastal landscape filled with ancient cities, castles, ports and temples. It is easy to understand the appeal: swim, wander around an old quarter, eat outside. No heroic sightseeing schedule required. (Go Türkiye)
7. Makkah (Mecca): 18.7 million arrivals
Makkah’s place on this list is different in character from every other city here. Its pull is pilgrimage. Muslims travel to the city for Hajj and Umrah, centred on Al Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba. The Saudi tourism authority maintains dedicated guidance for both pilgrimages, reflecting the scale and distinct purpose of travel to the city. (Visit Saudi) That makes Makkah’s 18.7 million arrivals a reminder that the global travel map is shaped by faith just as strongly as holidays, business and entertainment.
6. Dubai: 19.5 million arrivals
Dubai’s pitch is variety at maximum volume. There is the 828-metre Burj Khalifa, beaches, malls, desert outings, family attractions, luxury hotels and traditional souks. Wooden abras still cross Dubai Creek between Bur Dubai and Deira, offering a much older view of the city than the towers suggest. (Visit Dubai)
You can spend the morning beside the creek and the evening beneath the Burj Khalifa and feel as though you have visited two separate places. Spectacle gets Dubai its attention. Contrast fills the itinerary.
5. Istanbul: 19.7 million arrivals
Many cities call themselves crossroads. Istanbul has ferries carrying people across the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia throughout the day.
The historical peninsula packs Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar into a remarkably concentrated area. Beyond those landmarks, Istanbul continues through waterside districts, neighbourhood cafés, markets, galleries and crowded ferry decks. (Go Türkiye) The major sights are extraordinary. The ordinary ferry ride may be the bit you remember most.
Image: Istanbul's historic peninsula by Hunanuk, CC0. (Wikimedia Commons)
4. Macao (Macau): 20.4 million arrivals
Macao is compact, crowded, glossy and far stranger than its casino-only reputation suggests. The Historic Centre of Macao contains more than 20 monuments and urban squares and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. The city is also a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, reflecting a culinary history stretching back more than 400 years. (Macao Tourism) Those layers sit beside enormous resort complexes in a very small place.
Macao was also the most dynamic city highlighted in Euromonitor’s arrivals analysis, with inbound trips increasing by 14% in 2025. Same-day visits grew even faster. (Euromonitor)
A short visit can contain a Chinese temple, a Portuguese-style square, a Macanese lunch and a resort lobby that feels roughly the size of an airport.
3. London: 22.7 million arrivals
London’s ranking becomes easier to understand once you try to summarise the city and fail. Royal history, free museums, West End theatre, football, markets, parks, music, restaurants, shopping and business travel could each sustain a separate visit. London’s official visitor guide highlights free institutions including the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and Tate Modern, alongside the capital’s parks, neighbourhoods and markets. (visitlondon.com)
Image: Tower Bridge at dusk by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
A rain shower can ruin one plan and make the case for three better ones. That range is a large part of London’s staying power.
2. Hong Kong: 23.2 million arrivals
Hong Kong first appears as a skyline. It soon turns into a geography lesson. Victoria Harbour, the Peak and dense shopping districts fill the foreground. Hiking trails, beaches, islands and country parks sit close enough to change the entire character of a day. The Hong Kong Tourism Board places harbour views and urban landmarks beside trails, beaches, island hopping and nature parks in its official visitor material. (Discover Hong Kong)
Image: Hong Kong harbour and skyline by Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Euromonitor says international arrivals grew by 6% in 2025, helped by major events at Kai Tak Stadium and improved airport connectivity. (Euromonitor) The city’s deeper appeal is simpler. An enormous amount of life is packed into a tight frame.
1. Bangkok: 30.3 million arrivals
Bangkok leads Hong Kong by 7.1 million arrivals. That gap is larger than the entire difference between Istanbul in fifth place and Kuala Lumpur in tenth. It is a serious lead. (Euromonitor)
The city’s appeal resists a tidy summary. Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun anchor historic Bangkok. The Chao Phraya River, markets, shopping centres, food stalls, restaurants and nightlife fill in the rest. (Tourism Authority of Thailand)
Image: Wat Arun in Bangkok by Mr.Niwat Tantayanusorn, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Bangkok can be loud, hot and confusing. It can also be calm at dawn, generous at lunchtime and unexpectedly beautiful from a river boat. Thirty million arrivals make more sense once you stop looking for a single reason.
What the ranking reveals about global travel
- Asia-Pacific is doing much of the running. Euromonitor says the region recorded a 10% increase in international arrivals during 2025, the strongest regional rise in its analysis. (Euromonitor)
- The middle of the table is remarkably tight. Just 2.4 million arrivals separate Istanbul in fifth place and Kuala Lumpur in tenth.
- Tourism is not one type of journey. Makkah’s pilgrimage travel, Antalya’s coastal holidays, London’s cultural and business traffic, and Macao’s regional short visits all create similar arrival totals for very different reasons.
- “Best” and “most visited” are separate questions. Paris ranks first in the overall city index but ninth for international arrivals. (Euromonitor)
Sources
- Euromonitor’s 2025 City Destinations Index and supporting analysis for the ranking, top-100 total and regional trends, plus Wikipedia’s table view of the 2025 top 10. (Euromonitor) (Wikipedia)
- Official tourism and heritage sources for city context, including Tourism Malaysia, UNESCO, GoTürkiye, Visit Saudi, Visit Dubai, Macao Government Tourism Office, visitlondon.com, Discover Hong Kong and Tourism Authority of Thailand. (Malaysia Travel Brochures) (UNESCO World Heritage Centre) (Go Türkiye) (Visit Saudi) (Visit Dubai) (Go Türkiye) (Macao Tourism) (visitlondon.com) (Discover Hong Kong) (Tourism Authority of Thailand)
- Header image: Petronas Twin Towers at night in Kuala Lumpur by Bruce Poon, CC BY-SA 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
