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(CNN) – Paris is a city loved for good food, fine art and fine fashion.
But a new World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) index also states that Paris is the world’s best-performing city for tourism.
The WTTC, a UK-based travel industry not-for-profit organization, analyzed tourism data from 2022 to see where travelers are spending the most money.
However, the overall list of the strongest tourism cities did not only consider museum tickets and hotel rooms. The other factor was how much local and national governments and companies are investing in these cities as travel destinations.
Take the frontrunner Paris for example: The city is preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Though less than 5% of the Games’ facilities will be newly built, the city is investing resources in infrastructure, security, and other measures that will help it prepare to host the world.
According to this calculation, the total tourism of the French capital amounted to 35.6 billion US dollars.
So who else made the list?
The United States of Tourism
According to the WTTC, Las Vegas’ total tourism revenue was $23 billion.
DMITRY VINOGRADOV/lucky-photo/Adobe Stock
Two countries each had three cities on the WTTC list. One of these was the United States, with Orlando, New York City and Las Vegas representing the nation.
While every city makes a sizable chunk of money from tourism, they cater to different types of travelers – Orlando is popular with families visiting the city’s theme parks, Las Vegas is an internationally renowned gambling and nightlife hub, and New York draws foodies and art lovers at , among others.
Of this group, Orlando was the top earner, raking in $31 billion in 2022. That’s a whole lot of Mickey Mouse ears.
China on the rise
Three Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou – made the top 10 for 2022.
Other Chinese destinations are working their way up the index. In particular, the beach vacations of Sanya – on the sunny island of Hainan in southern China – and Macao were named as places to keep an eye on in the future.
China has invested heavily in tourism and is now touting international travelers as its border has reopened. Macao is the only city in China with legal gambling, and it’s easier for most tourists to travel there without a visa than on the mainland.
The WTTC predicts that China will dominate its rankings by 2032.
“Major cities like London, Paris and New York will remain global powerhouses, but over the next few years Beijing, Shanghai and Macau will move up the list of top city destinations,” Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, said in a statement .
Other standouts
Of course, more than two countries are represented in the WTTC list. Tokyo, Mexico City and London in seventh, eighth and ninth round out the rankings.
In a way, it was just as interesting to see who didn’t make the list.
Two surprising omissions have occurred in the Middle East, whose popularity has skyrocketed over the past decade.
Although luxurious Dubai and World Cup host Doha topped the list for most tourism revenue, they did not fare as well in the other categories, finishing outside the top 10.
Amsterdam, Barcelona and Singapore also fell victim to the same phenomenon, scoring high attendance rates but not making the overall ‘most powerful’ list.
Beijing was second on the WTTC list after Paris.
Sean Pavone Photo/Adobe Stock
World’s Strongest Cities for Tourism 2022
1. Paris, France
2. Beijing, China
3. OrlandoFlorida
4. Shanghai, China
5. Las Vegas, Nevada
6. New-York, New-York
7. Tokyo, Japan
8th. Mexico City, Mexico
9. London, United Kingdom
10 Guangzhou, China