Travel & Hotspots

HERE ARE THE 13 MOST VISITED CITIES OF 2016

Ha, for travel research like this, I'm always up for it. How many visitors has the capital of our kale country attracted this year? Trust me, it will surprise you.

Every year, MasterCard presents its Global Destination Cities Index. Yes, that may all sound sleep-inducingly complicated, but it boils down to them making a list of the 132 most visited cities in the world based on the number of international payments in the cities.

Ready? Starting with the most fun number 13…

13. Amsterdam, Netherlands (8 million international visitors)

12. Barcelona, Spain (8.2 million international visitors)

11. Hong Kong, China (8.37 million international visitors)

10. Seoul, South Korea (10.2 million international visitors)

9. Tokyo, Japan (11.7 million international visitors)

8. Istanbul, Turkey (11.95 million international visitors)

7. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (12.02 million international visitors)

6. Singapore, Southeast Asia (12.11 million international visitors)

5. New York, United States (12.75 million international visitors)

4. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (15.27 million international visitors)

3. Paris, France (18.03 million international visitors)

2. London, England (19.88 million international visitors)

1. Bangkok, Thailand (21.47 million international visitors)

P.S.: I find it quite striking that Rome and Milan are in the top 20, but not in the top 13. Nice going, Amsterdam.