If you’ve already started on your 2024 travel plans, you may want to put these three Canadian cities on your list, as they’ve just been recognized as some of the top destinations in the world this year according to a new ranking.
Euromonitor International released its 2023 Top 100 City Destinations list, which compares 55 metrics across six pillars for 100 destinations to determine its ranking of the overall attractiveness of global cities.
The six pillars the organization bases its ranking on are economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability.
The top 10 rankings were dominated by European cities. Paris took the top spot, followed by Dubai in second place and Madrid in third place.
Tokyo placed fourth, and Amsterdam came in fifth.
The top 20 cities in Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023 are:
- Paris, France
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Madrid, Spain
- Tokyo, Japan
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Berlin, Germany
- Rome, Italy
- New York, United States of America
- Barcelona, Spain
- London, United Kingdom
- Singapore, Singapore
- Munich, Germany
- Milan, Italy
- Seoul, South Korea
- Dublin, Ireland
- Osaka, Japan
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- Vienna, Austria
- Los Angeles, United States of America
- Lisbon, Portugal
While no Canadian cities made it to the top 20 spots, three destinations did get a mention a bit further down the ranking. Toronto took the top spot for Canadian cities, placing 30th, followed by Vancouver (51) and Montreal (68).
Euromonitor International noted that Montreal–a newcomer on the list– was recognized for its improved tourism performance.
The organization noted that overall, in 2023, international travel made a strong comeback after the pandemic, with 38 per cent growth in terms of the number of trips taken.
“An important milestone for the recovery of the industry in 2023 has been the return of Chinese international travel, following the removal of the governmental quarantine,” stated Euromonitor International in a press release.
However, over-tourism remains a concern in the travel industry due to a surge in post-pandemic travel.
“Overtourism is one of the challenges cities are facing, impacting local communities and the environment as tourism rebounds from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Nadejda Popova, Senior Manager at Euromonitor International, in a statement.
“Seen by many as a double-edged sword, overtourism underscores the importance of implementing sustainable practices to help drive more responsible tourism over mass travel to benefit the environment as well as local residents.”
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