Four Saudi cities among world’s top 100 destinations in 2019

Four cities from Saudi Arabia made it to the Euromonitor International’s list of top 100 city destinations for 2019.

Makkah is placed 20th on the list and is expected to record a 2.8% year-on-year (YoY) growth to 9.83 million visitors. Madinah holds the 23rd position as it is forecast to receive 8.8 million visitors, a 3.2% increase YoY. 

Riyadh takes the 49th ranking, with visitors numbers slated to grow by 3.5% to 5.45 million visitors, while Dammam at 64th position will see the arrival of 3.58 million visitors, a 2.6% YoY growth.

On the regional level, Dubai is placed 7th on the list, with an estimated 16.32 million visitors.

Hong Kong topped the list followed by Bangkok, Macau and Singapore. 

The UK-based market research company expected Brexit uncertainty to impact future figures as London, which is currently holding onto its number three spot, may slip to the 5th position.

Overall, global inbound arrivals are expected to grow by 4.2% to 1.5 billion trips in 2019, with the top 100 cities comprising nearly 47% of global arrivals and growing by 6.2% this year.

The 2019 rankings are calculated using estimates based on part-year arrivals data on tourism arrivals from over 400 cities. Arrivals are defined as international travelers who visit another country for at least 24 hours.