Egypt and Saudi Arabia have made a big leap in the global ranking of the destinations most attractive to visitors in 2019, with 5 cities from Egypt and 3 from Saudi Arabia entering the world's top 100, according to a report by the British market research firm Euromonitor International.
Cairo ranked 4th in the Middle East and Africa after Dubai, Mecca and Medina respectively, after the report forecast it would record 18.3% growth in tourist numbers this year to about 6.8 million tourists, compared with 5.7 million in 2018, advancing 5 places globally to 37th among more than 100 of the most attractive tourist destinations in 2019.
The report forecast that Hurghada would make the biggest leap in the ranking, with visitor growth of 41.3% to 3.8 million visitors, advancing 19 places to 63rd, compared with 82nd place with 2.7 million visitors in 2018. Cities such as Sharm El-Sheikh, Alexandria and Luxor also saw strong growth with the return of visitors, as they regained the confidence of European markets such as Britain and Russia after travel bans were lifted and attractive promotional campaigns were launched.
The report noted that Egypt regained its tourism standing in the region in 2018 thanks to economic reforms, the attraction of foreign investment and developments in its tourism strategy, particularly its focus on new tourism markets, while Cairo in particular saw major investments in infrastructure and the restoration of historical sites, in addition to a focus on improving airport infrastructure.
The situation was similar in Hurghada, where security stability, improved infrastructure and the renovation of Terminal 2 at Hurghada International Airport helped tourism grow and restored the city's position as one of the safest for Europeans.
As for Saudi Arabia, Mecca, Medina and Riyadh all came among the top 5 in the Middle East and Africa, with expectations of receiving about 24 million visitors this year, while Dubai kept 7th place globally among the most visited cities, with international tourist numbers reaching 16.3 million.
The Euromonitor list includes 13 cities in the Middle East, as the region recorded an 8.7% increase in tourist arrivals and a 9.1% increase in annual tourism earnings in 2019, with leading cities with good infrastructure such as Dubai and Riyadh moving to invest in bigger entertainment venues such as amusement parks, concerts and medical tourism.
By contrast, Asian cities dominated the ranking with 43 of the top 100 cities. Hong Kong is expected to remain in first place as the most attractive city for visitors this year, expected to draw 26.7 million tourists by the end of 2019, followed by Bangkok in 2nd place, China's Macau in 3rd, Singapore in 4th and Kuala Lumpur in 10th.
Although Europe is the second most visited region by travelers in 2019, London fell two places to 5th due to uncertainty over Britain's exit from the European Union, while Paris came 6th. North America performed well, but most American cities slipped due to competition from Europe and Asia.
Globally, the number of outbound visitors is expected to grow by 4.2% to 1.5 billion trips in 2019.
Euromonitor's research covers about 400 cities around the world, studying the number of international visitors who stay in a country for more than 24 hours and less than 12 months, and tourists for all purposes of visit, such as business, leisure and visiting friends and relatives, excluding workers, students abroad, military personnel, transport crews and people displaced by war or natural disasters.
The final order of the 2019 global ranking was settled after estimating the annual number of visitors.
Top five cities in the Middle East and Africa (arrivals in 2019)
1. Dubai: 16.3 million
2. Mecca: 9.8 million
3. Medina: 8.8 million
4. Cairo: 6.8 million
5. Riyadh: 5.4 million
Top 10 cities in the world (arrivals in 2019)
1. Hong Kong: 26.7 million
2. Bangkok: 25.8 million
3. Macau: 20.6 million
4. Singapore: 19.7 million
5. London: 19.6 million
6. Paris: 19 million
7. Dubai: 16.3 million
8. Delhi: 15.2 million
9. Istanbul: 14.7 million
10. Kuala Lumpur: 14.07 million
