Top 10: Most Visited Cities in 2015

10. Barcelona

Spain may be suffering through economic woes, but Barcelona remains a big draw, especially for travellers from north Europe. Thus top feeder cities were London (England), Paris (France), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Frankfurt and Munich (Germany).

9. Hong Kong

The index's authors cite Hong Kong among China's important "origin cities" and continues to be a destination as well.

8. Kuala Lumpur

According to the index's authors, the Malaysian capital is an important link between Asia and the Middle East. Its top five international feeder cities were Singapore (Singapore), Jakarta (Indonesia), Bangkok (Thailand), Melbourne (Australia) and Manila (Philippines).

7. Dubai

The only Middle East destination in the Top 10, Dubai had 9.98 million international visitors, nearly twice as many as the next most popular destination in the Middle East and Africa, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and nearly four times as many as the third, Johannesburg (South Africa). Along with Bangkok (Thailand), it had the second largest year-on-year growth in the index, 10.9%.

6. Istanbul

The Global Destination Cities Index cites the location of Turkey's largest city, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, as a big reason for its popularity as a destination. If its growth in air travel connectivity continues at current rates, the report predicts it will enter the top five destinations by 2016.

5. New York

The only city in the Americas in the Top 10 for international travellers, New York City also topped the Global Destination Cities Index in terms of revenue generated from them (US$18.6 billion). Top sources of international travellers to New York were London (England), Toronto (Canada), Sao Paolo (Brazil), Paris (France), and Buenos Aires (Argentina). 

4. Singapore

The Southeast Asian city-state sits at the crossroads of the Asia-Pacific region and has an active commercial sector, fantastic food scene and a world-leading airline.

3. Paris

Paris was the only city in the Top 10 to lose international visitors since the last index was published. Its top five feeder cities were London (England), New York (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Rome (Italy) and Frankfurt (Germany).

2. London

London was last year's No. 1 and still remains the top destination in Europe with 15.96 million international visitors. Its revenue from these visitors (US$16.3 billion) was ahead of Bangkok's by nearly US$2 billion. The top five feeder cities to London were Dublin (Ireland), New York (USA), Stockholm (Sweden), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Frankfurt (Germany). 

1. Bangkok

The Thai capital became the first Asian city to top the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, edging out London, the previous No. 1, with 15.98 million international visitors, who generated an estimated US$14.4 billion. International visitor numbers rose a vigorous 9.8% in 2015. Bangkok's top five feeder cities were Singapore (Singapore), Tokyo (Japan), Hong Kong (China), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Seoul (South Korea).