When it comes to travel, some tourists spare no expense. And some cities are well suited to attract them from the luxurious desert city of Dubai to the city of light and love, Paris, many international travellers today are looking to tick the crème de la crème of destinations off their bucket lists. In some cases, they’re seeking out the opulent experiences they missed out on when the pandemic brought the world to a halt.
In this graphic, Visual Capitalist Freny Fernandez and Bhabna Banerjee use the latest research by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to highlight the top 10 cities where international travellers spent the most in 2022.
Cities of Opulence
Last year, Dubai took top spot, followed by nearby Doha, Qatar.
| Rank | City | Country / Region | Income from International Tourists (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Dubai | 🇦🇪 UAE | $29.42B |
| #2 | Doha | 🇶🇦 Qatar | $16.79B |
| #3 | London | 🇬🇧 UK | $16.07B |
| #4 | Macau | 🇲🇴 Macau SAR | $15.58B |
| #5 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $13.59B |
| #6 | Istanbul | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | $13.13B |
| #7 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | $12.73B |
| #8 | New York | 🇺🇸 U.S. | $12.45B |
| #9 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | $10.97B |
| #10 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | $9.76B |
Singapore and Macau represented East Asia, and New York was the sole city from the Americas on the list. It’s worth noting that this list differs somewhat from overall tourism spending, which would include domestic travel spending as well. Large countries like the United States and China fare better in that ranking.
