It really is not a surprise because Paris is one of the most visited cities by tourists in the world every year. But the British organization specialized in the travel sector World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) was not based solely on this annual attendance figure to place the French capital in the top of the “most powerful” tourist cities in the world. The new WTTC index also takes into account the amount of money spent by these tourists at the site, be it hotel rooms or museum tickets. For the Parisian city, these tourist revenues amount to more than 35,000 million dollars, an unmatched amount.
Above all, it takes into account the investments of the different levels of political decision-makers, whether at the local or national level. And with less than two years to go before the 2024 Olympic Games, it is this factor that makes the difference between Paris and other tourist cities. Despite a deliberately low number of new sports facilities built, the capital is making significant investments in terms of infrastructure and security to prepare to welcome the world.
The United States and China occupy the top 10
Just behind Paris, the place of the dauphin is occupied by Beijing. In addition, two other Chinese cities are present in the top 10, namely Shanghai (4th) and Guanzhou (10th), a sign of the rise of the Middle Kingdom which is investing massively to strengthen its appeal. According to the WTTC, the first places in its index will be occupied by Chinese cities within a decade. Several tourist cities of the Asian giant are registering important advances in the ranking. This is the case of the resort of Sanya, an island in the south of the country, or of Macao, a more notorious city. The old Portuguese concession has several advantages to its credit, such as the possibility of going there without a visa or the legal game that reigns there.
The United States is the other country that places three of its cities in the top 10 of the WTTC index. Orlando thus completes the podium with a turnover that last year amounted to 31,000 million dollars, thanks of course to its famous amusement parks. Las Vegas is in the top 5 and benefits from its international aura as a nightlife city where gambling has contributed heavily to the $23 billion generated in 2022. The city of sins is followed by New York, the megalopolis for excellence whose influence does not weaken either in artistic or gastronomic matters.
Recipes are not everything.
Several examples prove that the pecuniary aspect is not enough to consider a tourist city powerful. While three major cities—Tokyo, Mexico City, and London—finish this top 10, other major cities rank relatively disappointing given their history or recent media exposure. This is the case of the pearls of the Middle East such as Dubai and Doha, the capital of the host country of the last Soccer World Cup, whose only real strong point is the significant tourist income.
There are also disappointments in the old continent with Amsterdam and Barcelona which, like Singapore on the other hand, do not appear on the WTTC list despite the large expenses incurred by tourists in the place.
Source: BFM TV
