From the incredible Olympic Games to the reopening of the magnificent Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris was at the heart of world news in 2024. And beyond the simple observation, figures and studies confirm this fact, like the one recently published by Euromonitor International. Taking a close look at all the world’s capitals, this study even ranked Paris as the most attractive city in the world for the fourth time in a row!
Study ranks Paris as the world’s most attractive city
“City of the quarter-hour, best cycling city in France, most romantic city in the world: Paris is constantly being showered with all kinds of titles, from rumor to official. But today, a serious study has taken a closer look at the world’s capitals. Conducted by Euromonitor International, it ranks Paris as the most attractive city in the world in 2024, a year marked by a 19% increase in international arrivals, and therefore in tourism.
Analyzing over 100 cities, the study is based on a large number of criteria divided into 6 main categories: economic performance, tourism, infrastructure, tourism policy, safety and sustainability. Paris, excelling in several of these areas, came out on top, ahead of Madrid and Tokyo. Boosted by the Olympic Games, tourism in the City of Light passed a milestone this year, recording 17 million arrivals.
More generally, Europe far outstrips other continents in terms of attractiveness, with 10 cities in the top 20 and 6 in the top 10. These are encouraging signs, particularly in the wake of the pandemic and its repercussions. However, the study also highlights the harmful effects of overtourism, for example the need for certain tourist locations to take measures such as restricting entry or changing opening times.