The latest edition of Euromonitor International’s Top 100 City Destinations Index has once again ranked Amsterdam as one of the best city destinations in the world, with the Dutch capital reclaiming its third-place position behind Paris and Dubai. 

Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2022

Every year, the research agency Euromonitor International puts together a list of the top 100 city destinations by measuring the popularity and tourism potential of cities around the world. The ranking is designed to offer “a comprehensive and multi-layered analysis of key and emerging city hubs,” thereby helping “businesses, tourism organisations and destinations identify cities that are showing strong tourism growth potential.” 

This year, the 100 cities included in the ranking were assessed and compared across 57 metrics, split into six key areas: 

• Economic and Business Performance
• Tourism Performance
• Tourism Infrastructure
• Tourism Policy and Attractiveness
• Health and Safety
• Sustainability

Paris beat out Dubai to claim the top spot in the ranking, while Amsterdam held on to a very respectable third-place position for the fourth year in a row. On the whole, European cities dominate the top spots, with two German cities managing to score places in the top 10. According to Euromonitor International, the top-performing countries in Europe were Italy, Spain and Greece, as all saw multiple cities land a spot in the top 100.

Amsterdam is the third-best city destination in the world

While the Dutch capital’s score may have been let down by its performance in the Health and Safety category, the city did particularly well when it came to Economic and Business Performance and Tourism Policy and Attractiveness. Its performance meant Amsterdam was once again able to secure a podium place in the global ranking, coming in second place in the list for European cities.

The city’s performance in this year’s index is especially interesting seeing as, over the course of the past several years, the municipality has attempted to curb the growth of tourist-targeted businesses and limit the number of overnight stays in the city. Recently, the city council announced plans to introduce tougher rules in the Red Light District by the spring of this year.

Amsterdam also managed to do well in a separate ranking which highlighted the top cities for economic and business opportunities, coming in third place behind Singapore and Taipei and beating the likes of Hong Kong and London.

Top 10 cities in the world to visit

According to the 2022 City Destinations Index, the top destinations in the world are:

1. Paris
2. Dubai
3. Amsterdam
4. Madrid
5. Rome
6. London
7. Munich
8. Berlin
9. Barcelona
10. New York

For more information, visit the Euromonitor International website.

Thumb: TravnikovStudio via Shutterstock.com.