As of: February 16, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Anyone who thinks of a city trip to the largest metropolises in the world thinks of New York, Paris or London.
In fact, a Turkish city was ahead in 2023.
Every year, Turkey is at the top of the list for German holidaymakers when it comes to summer holidays.
Last year too, the country on the Bosporus was able to attract many travelers, as the current tourism analysis by the
BAF Foundation for Future Issues
revealed.
The holiday destination narrowly missed third place among the most popular European destinations for the main holiday in 2023.
But it's not just the Turkish Riviera with its beautiful beaches that seems to be tempting for travelers - they're also taken by the cities.
This is what the annual report “Top 100 City Destination Index 2023” from the global market research company
Euromonitor International
revealed.
Istanbul was the most visited city in the world in 2023
Istanbul is a city with a checkered history - and has been extremely popular with travelers over the last year.
© Pond5 Images/Imago
The Turkish metropolis of Istanbul recorded 20.2 million international guest arrivals last year - more than any other city.
Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 26 percent.
Not even a big city like London, which came in second with 18.8 million visitors, could keep up.
The desert metropolis of Dubai completes the list of the most visited cities in the world in 2023 - 16.8 million travelers visited it.
(By the way, Dubai is also the best travel destination for 2024 according to TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Awards.) New York, also a classic among city break destinations, only made it to 8th place (11.7 million visitors).
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Istanbul is becoming increasingly popular as a travel destination - but where do the tourists come from?
In the period from January to November, Istanbul recorded ten percent more foreign tourists than in the same period last year, as the German edition of the Turkish daily newspaper
Hürriyet
reports.
According to this, most holidaymakers came from Russia, 1.84 million - their travel options have been limited since the start of the Ukraine war.
The second most represented were holidaymakers from Germany with 1.18 million visitors.
The top 10 cities for international guest arrivals in 2023 at a glance
City |
international guest arrivals |
|---|---|
Istanbul |
20.2 million |
London |
18.8 million |
Dubai |
16.8 million |
Antalya |
16.5 million |
Paris |
15.5 million |
Hong Kong |
14.7 million |
Bangkok |
12.2 million |
new York |
11.7 million |
Cancun |
10.8 million |
Mecca |
10.8 million |