Thursday 28 January 2016 9:53 am

The world’s most popular cities for tourist: London comes second to Hong Kong

By: Jessica Morris

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London has come second to Hong Kong in a ranking of the world's most popular cities among tourists.

Euromonitor International's annual "top city destinations ranking" covers 100 of the world's leading cities in terms of tourist arrivals.

London benefited from its iconic stature, the success of the London Olympics in 2012, as well as its cultural and sporting credentials. It climbed past Bangkok which fell to third place due to political unrest in Thailand and a decline in Russian arrivals

However, delays to create another runway could jeopardise its position in future. Heathrow is currently operating at near maximum capacity, while Gatwick, Luton and London City are predicted to be at capacity by 2030.

Hong Kong took the top spot thanks to its popularity with Chinese tourists. The city, which is regarded as the gateway between China and the rest of the world, reported that Chinese tourists accounted for 67 per cent of all visitors in 2014.

Singapore and Paris make up the rest of the top five.

Top city destinations ranking

1. Hong Kong

2. London

3. Singapore

4. Bangkok

5. Paris

6. Macau

7. Shenzhen

8. New York City

9. Istanbul

10. Kuala Lumpur

11. Antalya

12. Dubai

13. Seoul

14. Rome

15. Taipei

16. Guangzhou

17. Phuket

18. Miami

19. Pattaya

20. Shanghai

21. Prague

22. Las Vegas

23. Mecca

24. Milan

25. Tokyo

26. Barcelona

27. Amsterdam

28. Vienna

29. Los Angeles

30. Venice

31. Moscow

32. Johannesburg

33. Delhi

34. Orlando

35. Berlin

36. Mumbai

37. Budapest

38. Ho Chi Minh City

39. Beijing

40. Florence

41. Madrid

42. Riyadh

43. Warsaw

44. Cancun

45. Lima

46. Nairobi

47. Chennai

48. Johor Bahru

49. Dublin

50. Denpasar

51. Athens

52. San Francisco

53. Agra

54. Hangzhou

55. Toronto

56. Mugla

57. Sydney

58. Brussels

59. Jerusalem

60. Edirne

61. Munich

62. Hanoi

63. Jaipur

64. Zhuhai

65. Punta Cana

66. Cairo

67. Buenos Aires

68. Sofia

69. St Petersburg

70. Chiang Mai

71. Lisbon

72. Heraklion

73. Halong

74. Pulau Pinang

75. Mexico City

76. Siem Reap

77. Jerba

78. Cracow

79. Jakarta

80. Rio de Janeiro

81. Honolulu

82. Manama

83. Andorra la Vella

84. Zurich

85. Tel Aviv

86. Marrakech

87. Nice

88. Vancouver

89. Sharm el Sheikh

90. Melbourne

91. Guilin

92. Frankfurt

93. Amman

94. Jeju

95. Rhodes

96. Marne-La-Vallee

97. Samui

98. Kolkatta

99. Taichung

100. Artvin