Top 10 destination cities to visit. Mastercard’s 2017 Global Destination Cities Index looks at visitor volume and spending to rank 132 top destination cities.

Bangkok is poised to be the most popular city in the world for international travelers. The Thai capital welcomed nearly 20.2 million international visitors this year. The city of Bangkok its many culinary delicacies and vibrant nightlife. The city serves as the starting and stopping point for many travelers who travel on Southeast Asia.

London retained its No. 2 spot like last year, with projected arrivals topping 20 million in 2017. City is the capital of the United Kingdom, home to many world class museums and tourist attractions including the London Eye, London Bridge, the British museum and more.

Paris is in third place in top 10 destination cities to visit, with 16.1 million visitors forecast.

Dubai is at 4th place of the ranking for visitor spending. In 2016, its 14.9 million international overnight visitors spent $28.5 billion, with more than 10% growth forecast for 2017. Dubai is at the top of the ranking for visitor spending.

Singapore rounds out the Top 5 for arrivals, with nearly 13.5 million international visitors expected in 2017.

The report also ranks the top 20 fastest-growing cities from 2009 to 2016, with Japan’s Osaka topping the charts with a 24% annual growth rate over that period, followed by Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province at 22.7% and Colombo in Sri Lanka at 20.3%.

The index is not based on Mastercard transactional data. Public data is used in compiling the index.

Top 10 destination cities

1. Bangkok, Thailand — 19.41 million visitors in 2016 (20.19 million forecast for 2017)
2. London, England — 19.06 million visitors in 2016 (20.01 million forecast for 2017)
3. Paris, France — 15.45 million visitors in 2016 (16.13 million forecast for 2017)
4. Dubai, UAE — 14.87 million visitors in 2016 (16.01 million forecast for 2017)
5. Singapore — 13.11 million visitors in 2016 (13.45 million forecast for 2017)
6. New York, USA — 12.70 million visitors in 2016 (12.36 million forecast for 2017)
7. Seoul, South Korea — 12.39 million visitors in 2016 (12.44 million forecast for 2017)
8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — 11.28 million visitors in 2016 (12.08 million forecast for 2017)
9. Tokyo, Japan — 11.15 million visitors in 2016 (12.51 million forecast for 2017)
10. Istanbul, Turkey — 9.16 million visitors in 2016 (9.24 million forecast for 2017)