London ranks first in “2014 World’s Best Tourism Cities,” Taipei comes in at No. 15

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Taiwan’s Taipei breaks into top 15 of “World’s Best Tourism Cities”! MasterCard today (the 9th) released its latest “2014 Global Destination Cities Index,” where Taipei ranked 15th out of 132 global destination cities, up from 18th last year. The number of international visitors to Taipei also increased substantially by nearly 5 million, making it one of the world’s most popular tourist cities.



 
▲Taiwan’s Taipei is an appealing destination for international travelers. (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

According to the report, from 2010 to 2014, Taipei achieved the highest annual compound growth rate in international visitor arrivals—nearly 16%—among the top 10 destination cities in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, over the past five years, the annual compound growth rate of international visitor spending in Taipei reached as high as 18%, ranking first among the top 20 global destination cities. Its spending appeal even surpassed that of Dubai, Singapore, and Seoul. Taipei has also retained the top spot in Greater China for international visitor spending for the fourth consecutive year, demonstrating its strong economic draw and establishing itself as a new hub for tourism consumption in Asia.

Additionally, after a two-year hiatus, London has reclaimed the title of the world’s top destination city in 2014, welcoming nearly 18.7 million international visitors—the third time London has claimed the top spot in five years. Last year’s champion, Bangkok, dropped to second place (16.42 million) due to political tensions, followed by Paris (15.57 million), Singapore (12.47 million), and Dubai (11.95 million). Dubai surpassed New York to enter the top five for the first time.

%Ranking of the top 20 global destination cities in 2014: