In a ranking of the world’s most popular destinations by The Economist, Amsterdam has claimed the number one spot for having the most tourists per resident. The amount of money spent by each tourist visiting the Dutch capital was also the highest globally.

The Economist: International Tourism Ranking 2023

Research by The Economist gathered figures on the number of tourists visiting 20 popular global cities and how much was spent on tourism in those cities. In total, London and Tokyo had the highest number of international visitors with 20 million visitors each. However, to determine the actual ranking of each city, the total number of tourists was divided by the destination’s population size. 

Overtourism in Amsterdam brings in big earnings

The Dutch municipality has launched several Stay Away campaigns, such as preventing new hotels from being built and introducing the highest tourist taxes in the world. Despite this, Amsterdam is still experiencing a large influx of tourists. In 2023, the number of tourists severely outnumbered the residents, with 10,1 arrivals visiting the city per resident - the highest number of tourists per resident in the world. 

Those living in the Netherlands may not be too happy about this, but the more tourists there are walking along the canals and exploring the multitude of Dutch museums, the more money the city’s tourist industry makes. According to the ranking, visitors to Amsterdam spent 11.200 US dollars per resident, which was also the highest amount per resident out of all the destinations.

Most popular tourist destinations in the world

Based on the number of tourists per resident, these are the top 10 favourite cities for international travellers:

1. Amsterdam (10,1)
2. Paris (8)
3. Milan (6,3)
4. Barcelona (5,9)
5. Kuala Lumpur (5,4)
6. Dubai (4,8)
7. Osaka (3,6)
8. Rome (3,2)
9. Bangkok (3,0)
10. Singapore (2,3)

To see the full ranking, visit the The Economist website.

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