Competition for leisure travellers set to hurt London’s global ranking

London’s position in the global city destination rankings is set to fall over the next seven years, slipping from third to sixth, according to a new league table.

Euromonitor International's 100 City Destination Rankings, commissioned by World Travel Market (WTM) London, were released at WTM London at the ExCeL London.

London has been running the #LondonIsOpen campaign to ensure leisure and business travellers continue to visit, with the report showing growth of more than three per cent in 2017.

However, despite being ranked third currently, the surge in travel to Asian cities means London is likely to be overtaken in the coming years by Singapore, Macau and Dubai, while Hong Kong and Bangkok will remain by far the most-visited cities.

Hong Kong was shown as the top city for international arrivals, with more than 26 million visitors in 2016, followed by the Thai capital with over 21 million. London is ranked third, with just over 19 million.

“Brexit threatens to undermine London’s dominant position for ease of doing business and its attractiveness as a start-up hub,” said the report.

“Competing cities that have emerged to steal its crown include Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Stockholm, Dublin and Amsterdam, based on transport connections, diversity and creative spirit.”

Wouter Geerts, author of the report, which was released on Tuesday (7 November), added: “Asia Pacific is the standout region that has driven change in the travel landscape over the past decade and is expected to continue doing so in the coming decade.

“In 2010, 34 cities from Asia Pacific were present in our top 100 ranking. This jumped to 41 cities in 2017 and is expected to grow to 47 cities in 2025. The impact of inter-Asian travel (predominantly from China) in particular cannot be underestimated.”

To read the full report, click here.