London is the second most visited city in the world after Hong Kong.
The capital received more than 17 million visitors in 2014, a 4% increase over the previous year, which pushed it from third place in 2013.
Wouter Geerts, travel analyst at Euromonitor, said: "London is one of the most iconic cities in the world.
"The resounding success of the London Olympics in 2012 has boosted visibility and popularity even further.
"However, with London airports nearing capacity, the capital risks losing out to European rivals. To remain competitive in the international city destinations landscape, ensuring connectivity and innovation is key."
Hong Kong attracted 27.8 million, enabling it to hang on to its position of the world’s top city destination for the sixth consecutive year.
Singapore was in third place and Bangkok came fourth.
However, Rio de Janeiro was the city that saw the greatest increase in visitors, even though it didn’t feature in Euromonitor’s top 10 cities.
The Brazilian city attracted 47% more visitors in 2014 when it played host to the Fifa World Cup.
The Olympic Games in Brazil later this year are expected to drive further growth.
Due to geopolitical tensions, Kiev exited the rankings for the first time, while Saint Petersburg and Moscow recorded double digit declines.
Three Greek cities enter the ranking, including Athens with double digit growth
|
Rank |
Region |
City |
Country |
2013 |
2014 |
% Increase 2013/2104 |
|
1 |
Asia Pacific |
Hong Kong |
Hong Kong, China |
25,661.1 |
27,770.0 |
8.2 |
|
2 |
Western Europe |
London |
United Kingdom |
16,784.0 |
17,383.9 |
3.6 |
|
3 |
Asia Pacific |
Singapore |
Singapore |
17,146.7 |
17,086.2 |
-0.4 |
|
4 |
Asia Pacific |
Bangkok |
Thailand |
17,467.8 |
16,245.0 |
-7.0 |
|
5 |
Western Europe |
Paris |
France |
15,271.9 |
14,981.7 |
-1.9 |
|
6 |
Asia Pacific |
Macau |
Macau |
13,935.3 |
14,966.5 |
7.4 |
|
7 |
Asia Pacific |
Shenzhen |
China |
12,148.9 |
13,120.8 |
8.0 |
|
8 |
North America |
New York City |
USA |
11,850.4 |
12,230.0 |
3.2 |
|
9 |
Western Europe |
Istanbul |
Turkey |
10,486.3 |
11,871.2 |
13.2 |
|
10 |
Asia Pacific |
Kuala Lumpur |
Malaysia |
11,182.3 |
11,629.6 |
4.0 |
Source: Euromonitor International
