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Singapore has been ranked as the world’s fourth most visited city in 2016, with 16.6 million visitors, reported Channel News Asia.
In its latest ranking of the top 100 tourist destinations, Euromonitor noted that Singapore is set to overtake London as the world’s third most visited city by 2025 – “giving the podium fully to Asia”.
Notably, the rankings were dominated by Asian cities, thanks to the continued rise of Chinese outbound tourism demand.
Hong Kong emerged as the world’s most visited city, with Bangkok coming in at second place. Other Asian cities in the top 10 are Macau (5th), Shenzen (9th) and Kuala Lumpur (10th).
The number of Asian cities on the list has grown from 34 in 2010 to 41 last year. By 2025, the number is expected to increase to 47, said the report.
“The impact of inter-Asian travel, predominantly from China, in particular, cannot be underestimated,” it said.
The report noted that Asian countries’ strong drive to transform into smart cities underscores Singapore’s initiative on health, mobility and environment projects as part of its Smart Nation programme and cashless drive.
Meanwhile, Europe’s travel industry has been hampered by the migrant and Eurozone crisis as well as the Brexit and terrorist attacks. Paris, for instance, fell down the ranking after witnessing two high-profile attacks in 2015.
In the United States, the number of visitors steadily decelerated in recent years due to the political uncertainty surrounding the elections and a strong dollar.
Nonetheless, seven of the 10 Americas cities in the Top 100 are found in the US, with New York City leading the pack.
This article was edited by Keshia Faculin.
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