Hong Kong keeps crown as world’s most visited city in 2017
Despite a growth drop in mainland visitors in 2017, the city still benefits from its strategic location and relationship with China. Its appeal for mainland tourists is expected to bounce back from 2018
Chinese outbound travellers continue to reshape the global destination rankings, making Asia-Pacific the stand-out region in the world, according to a report released Tuesday.
Thanks to its border with China, Hong Kong has kept its crown as the world’s most visited city for the eighth consecutive year, attracting an estimated 26.6 million visits in 2017, according to a report from Euromonitor International, a market research provider.
It was followed by Bangkok and London, which along with Paris, are the only European cities in the top 10 ranking.
“Hong Kong remains the top city in the world as it benefits from its strategic location and relationship with China. However, it saw growth dip in 2017 as relations with mainland China were strained, but growth will pick up again between 2018 and 2025,” said Wouter Geerts, senior analyst at Euromonitor International in a statement.
Shenzhen also ranked in the global top 10, the only mainland city to make the list.
But the importance of mainland Chinese tourists in determining the global rankings cannot be underestimated.