China dominates top 20 in latest global tourism cities report

China boasts the largest number of cities in the top 20 of the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025-2026), released at the 2026 World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development, an event affiliated with the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), held on Wednesday in Beijing.

Professor Joseph Lema presents the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025-2026) at the 2026 World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development in Beijing, Sept. 9, 2026. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Joseph Lema, an expert with the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and tenured professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, presented the report at the conference. The report comprehensively evaluates 100 global tourism cities across six dimensions including city visibility, industry prosperity and urban intelligence.

The report shows that the top 10 world tourism cities for 2025-2026 are: New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Milan, Istanbul and Dubai. Beijing ranks fifth, up two places from last year, standing out in areas such as smart governance and security.

"Beijing has moved up its ranking, reflecting the strength of cultural resources, smart governance and safety assurance," Lema said.

During the conference, the WTCF released 121 city scoring criteria to accompany the ISO international standard "Scoring Criteria for ISO 11778 – Brand Evaluation – Tourism Cities." The standard was led by the WTCF, and the release of the scoring criteria marks the formation of an operational benchmark for evaluating tourism cities, providing a key practical reference for the standardized development of global tourism cities.

Beijing's "digital and smart + tourism" model has gained international recognition. According to the report, New York ranks first and Beijing second among the top 10 cities for urban intelligence. Joseph Lema said Beijing provides a practical model of using technology to improve services, data to support governance and digital tools to rejuvenate culture.

Data from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism shows foreign visitors in Beijing now spend more via mobile payment than credit cards. Beijing's "Top 10 Cultural Tourism Technology Application Scenarios" cover the entire visitor journey, while measures such as visa-free transit policies, tap-to-ride payment with foreign cards and the "Go Beijing" platform are improving the travel experience.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said international tourism is "a service trade completed through the movement of people," adding that tourism brings international visitors closer to real Chinese life and gives them a direct experience and evaluation of Chinese services. He predicted that China's inbound tourism will maintain double-digit growth in 2026, with Beijing growing even faster.

In terms of tourism safety, Sapporo ranks first and Beijing second. Asia-Pacific cities dominate the top 20, reflecting that a stable social environment, reliable public transportation and effective risk response are becoming essential factors in destination selection. Safety today also includes customs efficiency, food hygiene, extreme weather response, public health and cybersecurity.

In terms of regional distribution, among the top 20 cities in the report's rankings, the Asia-Pacific accounts for nine, Europe six, the Americas four and the Middle East one. The Asia-Pacific region is active in visa facilitation, aviation recovery, digital services, security governance and cultural consumption innovation, making it an important driver of global tourism growth and innovation.

With Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the global top 10, and Hangzhou and Chengdu in the top 20, China is the most represented country on the list. The global tourism city landscape is shifting from a traditional Europe-U.S.-centered pattern to multi-regional, multi-level competition.

The 2026 World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development, hosted by the WTCF and organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, brought together more than 400 participants from over 50 countries and regions on Sept. 9. The participants included representatives of WTCF member cities, heads of international organizations, embassies and consulates in China, international travel agencies, industry enterprises, experts and scholars, who met to discuss cooperation paths and development trends in global tourism in the digital and smart era.

The conference featured opening remarks, outcome releases, signing ceremonies and a tourism trade negotiation session. Discussions focused on cross-border tourism cooperation and the role of digital and smart technologies in empowering cultural tourism, aimed at building a global platform for dialogue, industry matchmaking and resource sharing.

Olaf McKay, mayor of Valletta, Malta's capital, said that evaluating tourism development should not only look at visitor numbers but also consider residents' well-being, business returns, cultural heritage protection and ecological carrying capacity. He noted that the WTCF and this conference have built a quality cooperation platform that brings together city managers, tourism institutions, researchers and industry partners to jointly address industry challenges and explore development opportunities.