Top 10 City Destinations 2019

Here are the top 10:

1. Hong Kong
2. Bangkok
3. London
4. Singapore
5. Macau
6. Paris
7. Dubai
8. New York
9. Kuala Lumpur
10. Shenzhen

The top echelon of the city ranking is again extremely “asia-heavy". Hong Kong and Bangkok remain the top two performers, while Singapore, Macau, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen also feature in the global top 10.

Looking at European destinations we find London and Paris amongst the top 10. The french capital passed Dubai in the rankings. It had a weaker year 2016 due to the attacks. With all the data covered we also know the top 10 European countries, following London and Paris: Istanbul, Rome, Antalya (less of a city than a beach destination), Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan and Vienna.

And of course there is always New York City. The city is one of the most iconic and popular destinations worldwide and only at number 8 because all the US (domestic) visitors are not counted -- in contrast to our number 1, Hong Kong, that counts every main-land chinese visitor as foreign and thereby tops the ranking.

More off-the-beaten-path regions, cities and towns

At the end of december, like clockwork, also Airbnb introduced 19 trending destinations for 2019. Based on a combination of Airbnb search, booking and wishlist growth data, they are forecasting growing interest in more off-the-beaten-path regions, cities and towns to explore.

1. Kaikoura, New Zealand
2. Xiamen, China
3. Puebla, Mexico
4. Normandy, France
5. Great Smoky Mountains, US
6. Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
7. Accra, Ghana
8. Mozambique
9. Outer Hebrides, Scotland
10. Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
11. Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley, US
12. Santa Catarina State, Brazil
13. Batumi, Georgia
14. Winnipeg, Canada
15. Pondicherry, India
16. Uzbekistan
17. Calabria, Italy
18. Andalusia, Spain
19. Taiwan

As Airbnb points out, these 19 trend destinations are places where the increased “healthy,” more sustainable and authentic tourism will benefit residents and travelers alike, promoting emerging locales like Accra, Ghana; supporting environmental sustainability in places like Calabria, Italy; and offering the chance to help rebuild communities after natural disasters, starting with the top-trending destination on the list: Kaikoura, New Zealand.