(CNN) — Bright lights, big cities. The lure of urban centers has lost none of its appeal in 2018, with tourists expected to make around 1.4 billion trips to cities around the world this year. UK-based market research company Euromonitor International has just released its Top 100 City Destinations 2018 report, an annual ranking of the world's most popular cities by international tourism arrivals. Once again, Hong Kong has come out on top. Close to 30 million tourists are expected to travel to the region before the year is out -- and more than 50% of them will be from the Chinese mainland. Travel is on the rise Global air traffic has been rising steadily for years and 2018 is no exception. Euromonitor International's research covers 600 cities and, they say, global inbound arrivals are expected to grow by 5% this year. Asia continues to be the biggest player in the rankings, with 41 of the top 100 cities being on the continent. Bangkok holds onto its place … [Read more...] about Most visited: World’s top cities for tourism
Paris most visited city
World’s most attractive cities announced: These are the most stunning spots in the top 7
London, New York, Tokyo and Paris have managed to hold on to their top positions as the world’s most attractive cities for the second year running.This comes as part of the Global Power City Index, published by The Mori Memorial Foundation’s Institute for Urban Strategies.Sure, this study focuses on a city’s magnetism in general – the power it has to attract people from all over the world to live there. However, we’re more interested in the prettiness of these places for visitors – so here are some of the most gorgeous spots you can visit in the top seven cities. >‘Imposing’ barely describes the neoclassical building that is the British Museum. Nestled in the heart of Bloomsbury in London, it’s inspired by ancient Greek architecture and boasts an impressive 44 Ionic columns. >It’s not only the elaborate facade of the building that will blow you away, but the interior as well – take The Great Court – a covered … [Read more...] about World’s most attractive cities announced: These are the most stunning spots in the top 7
London was the second most-visited city in the WORLD last year – second only to Bangkok
LONDON has been named as the second most-visited city in the world – coming only after Bankgkok. Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index looked at the number of overnight visitors to 162 cities around the world in 2017 and revealed a top ten. The research also looked at how much money travellers spend on average per day in the city. While Bangkok sees 20.05million visitors per year, London is very close behind with 19.8million tourists paying a visit per year. The average spend per day in London is £116 – which is surprisingly less than is spent per day in Bangkok, at £131 per day. London also has many free things that tourists can do if they want to cut down on their bills. There are also beautiful views and greenery at parks like Greenwich and Primrose Hill. Many of the capital's museums are also free, such as the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the V&A and the Science Museum. Paris comes in third place, with spending there per person … [Read more...] about London was the second most-visited city in the WORLD last year – second only to Bangkok
The 25 best European city breaks for autumn 2018 and where to stay
Our experts offer a guide to the top 25 destinations for a city break in 2018, including what to do and where to stay in Venice, Amsterdam, Florence, Lisbon, London, Barcelona and Reykjavik. Italy Rome Rome's mild Mediterranean climate is a persuasive draw for visitors from the cool north, but the main draw will always be the pulsating energy of a place which lives life as a form of theatre. There are great neighbourhood trattorias, quirky shops and a buzzing aperitivo scene. The challenge is deciding what not to do: there are so many churches, archaeological sites, piazzas and paintings to see that a lifetime is hardly enough. Where to stay J.K. Place Roma Rome, Italy 9 Telegraph expert rating One of Italy’s classiest townhouse hotels, J.K. Place has been much imitated, but few of the copies match the warm, suave, elegant original. The rooms derive much of their charm from the no-expenses-spared quality of the materials used, including antique fireplaces and … [Read more...] about The 25 best European city breaks for autumn 2018 and where to stay
The search for Europe’s most relaxing city – and why good things come in small packages
Another week, another travel survey revealing an unimpeachable truth - this time, a slew of data from a spa-focused holiday operator which claims to have unearthed the identity of the European city best disposed to provide a relaxing long weekend away. It's an interesting idea, this "Relaxation Index" - 28 major urban dots on the soil of our home continent, compared and contrasted by the travel company Spa Seekers, and arranged into a league table of general chilledness using six different variables. But while the news that Copenhagen (a city which has marketed itself so successfully as a kernel of Danish "hygge" cosiness that, in the mind's eye, it effectively resembles a thick wool sweater and a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon) emerges top of this pile is not really news at all, there are some intriguing results once you drill down into the figures. If you feel like doing this for yourself, you can find the complete statistics here. It should be said at this point that there are … [Read more...] about The search for Europe’s most relaxing city – and why good things come in small packages