2 for the second consecutive year, with Bangkok rounding out the top three.

Makkah, new to the top 10 last year, remains at No.

When looking at the cities by dollar spent, Dubai tops the list with travelers spending USD $553 on average a day.

The forecast for 2019 indicates across-the-board growth, with Tokyo expecting the largest uptick in visitors. All top ten cities saw more international overnight visitors in 2018 than the prior year, with the exception of London, which decreased nearly 4 percent. 2 and 3 spots, respectively both hovering over 19 million. Paris and London, in flipped positions this year, hold the No. 1 destination, with more than 22 million international overnight visitors. This year, the Global Destination Cities Index-which ranks 200 cities based on proprietary analysis of publicly available visitor volume and spend data-reveals that Bangkok remains the No. Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index, released today, quantifies this desire: since 2009, the number of international overnight visitors grew an astounding 76 percent.

But, one thing has remained constant: people’s growing desire to travel the world, visit new landscapes and immerse themselves in other cultures. Over the past ten years the world has seen economic ebbs and flows, evolving global competition and partnership, and boundless technological innovation.

2010 global cities index