Hong Kong is still most visited city in the world, report says, but a protracted trade war could be a blow to Asia tourism
- Bangkok stays in second place as Asian destinations rise in popularity in top 100 list by Euromonitor International
- Mainland Chinese tourists continue to set the pace for worldwide travel – but a protracted trade war could hit Asia-Pacific region’s tourism
For the eighth year in a row, Hong Kong was the most visited city in the world, beating the likes of London, Paris and New York, according to the “Top 100 City Destinations 2018” of global market research company Euromonitor International.
Bangkok kept its rank as the second-most visited city.
The new poll highlighted the top 100 cities based on 2017 data of international arrivals, defined as any person visiting another country for at least 24 hours for a period not exceeding 12 months. It is based on publicly-available data and interviews carried out by Euromonitor researchers.
Wouter Geerts, a travel research consultant at Euromonitor, said Hong Kong was likely to stay in pole position, but added that its heavy reliance on the mainland China market was risky.
“I think Bangkok does not have anything that Hong Kong does not have, so I don’t think there will be any reason why Hong Kong should not remain No. 1 for a long time,” he said during the report’s in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
He said the special administrative region should develop its tourism market further, and not focus merely on shopping as its main attraction. Hong Kong has amazing outdoor experiences, and these being accessible via the MTR was just one of its offerings for tourists, he added.