Top 100 City Destinations: Taipei City Wins Visitors’ Hearts - 臺北產經資訊網

Euromonitor International, a global market research provider based in London, released its latest Top 100 City Destinations Ranking in 2017. The data sources include national statistics offices, airport arrivals, and hotel/accommodation stays from 58 core countries and 77 additional countries. Cities around the world are ranked by the number of international tourist arrivals in 2015. The report shows Asian cities gaining attention. Ranked the top city destination for 7 consecutive years, Hong Kong, being adjacent to China, attracted a number of 26.68 million international tourist arrivals in a year. Despite its geolocation advantage, Hong Kong needs to work on maintaining its attractiveness among young Chinese travelers. Coming in second place is Bangkok, regardless of the Erewan Shrine bombing in August 2015. The decline of the visitors in Hong Kong benefited Bangkok, giving it a 10% growth. Other cities in Thailand, including Phuket, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai, all benefited from being close to China, Burma, and Laos. Another popular Asian destination is Japan. In 2015 alone, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan almost doubled than in 2014, surpassing Korean tourists to become the main source of tourists in the country.

In Europe, London is the top-ranked city, coming in third globally. The number of tourist arrivals reached 18.58 million in 2015, which is a 6.8% growth from last year. It is the best performing city in the European region. The growth came from London hosting the Rugby World Cup in September 2015. Nevertheless, the report also mentioned that it is highly unlikely that the 2016 Brexit referendum will not have an impact on the London’s economy and tourism. The future looks very unstable. Coming in number five is Paris. In 2015 alone, the city has suffered shocking terrorist attacks, dragging its tourism industry down. As for the Americas, New York (ranked 9th globally) is international tourists’ first choice in the region. Ranked one of the top ten most popular cities in the world, New York had a number of 12.3 million visitors in 2015. Looking at urban development trends, New York will become the 11th biggest economy in the world, surpassing countries like Australia, Mexico, and Russia. Coming in second and third in the Americas are Miami and Las Vegas.

According to the report, the number of visitors in Taipei broke 9 million for the first time in 2015, the highest in 7 years, and a 5% growth from last year. Global rankings has reached #14. Moreover, CNN reported that the number of visitors in Taipei has been seeing positive growth for the past 5 years. The latest survey showed Taipei surpassing #15 Seoul (8.82 million) and #17 Tokyo (8.45 million). Taking a closer look at Taipei’s performance in the past five years (Diagram 2), the city came in 21st in 2011 with a total of 5.25 million visitors. Despite falling a place in 2013, annual visitors remain positive in growth. In 5 years, the number of visitors have grown 72% and climbed seven places in global rankings. Analysts point out Taipei’s unique tourism resources, including convenient transportation, diverse activities to do, facilities infrastructure, as well as market demand. The climbing in ranks represents the Taipei’s growing attraction among tourists.

As the capital city of Taiwan, Taipei’s developments pave the way for other cities in the country. Designated as the World Design Capital in 2016 and the host city of the 2017 Summer Universiade, Taipei welcomes more international arrivals. In addition, various approaches are conducted to market Taipei tourism as a brand. First, the Taipei City Government visited 3 capital cities in South Asia to promote regional tourism. Second, the City Government is dedicated to establishing an even more Muslim-friendly travel environment. Third, the City Government sponsors and bids for international conferences, exhibitions, and incentive tours (MICE) to be held in Taipei. Last but not least, the City Government introduced the Taipei Sightseeing Double Decker Bus. These are all in an effort to let more international tourists experience the attractions,the humanities, the arts, the ease of transportation, and the gourmet food of Taipei City. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.taipeiecon.taipei/.