While the world’s greatest cities each have their own unique features, there are few qualities they all have in common. The energy of a city is difficult to equal, from thriving arts and cultural scenes and diverse populations to ever-changing gastronomic options and magnificent public spaces. However, according to Euromonitor International’s annual ranking, Dubai is officially one of the world’s top cities.

The market research platform has released its list of the Top 100 City Destinations in 2023. It analyses cities based on more than 55 metrics across six key pillars, including economic and business performance, tourism performance, tourism infrastructure, tourism policy and attractiveness, health and safety, and sustainability.

Dubai was ranked at number 2 in the list, beaten only by Paris, which was named the world’s best city for the second year in a row. The City of Light came out on top thanks to its “exceptional performance across the tourism policy and attractiveness, tourism infrastructure and tourism performance pillars”, said Nadejda Popova, senior manager (loyalty) at Euromonitor International.

Dubai ranked second overall, and was also noted for its growth of international arrivals in 2023, with 16.8 million, up by 18 per cent. Istanbul saw the most arrivals with 20.2 million, up 26 per cent, followed by London with 18.8 million, up 17 per cent.

The top 20 cities in 2023

1. Paris, France
2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3. Madrid, Spain
4. Tokyo, Japan
5. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
6. Berlin, Germany
7. Rome, Italy
8. New York, United States of America
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. London, United Kingdom
11. Singapore, Singapore
12. Munich, Germany
13. Milan, Italy
14. Seoul, South Korea
15. Dublin, Ireland
16. Osaka, Japan
17. Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
18. Vienna, Austria
19. Los Angeles, United States of America
20. Lisbon, Portugal

Cities appearing on the list for the first time this year include Washington DC at 48, Montreal at 68, Santiago in Chile in 88th place and Lithuania’s Vilnius at 92.

Ranking at 100 is Oman’s capital, Muscat, with Cairo in 99th place.

The report also showed positive growth for the travel industry as a whole, with international travel up 38 per cent in terms of number of trips, projected to reach $1.6 billion by the end of the year.