by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:21 PM ET, Wed June 3, 2015
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
When choosing a destination for vacation, there are many different choices, but the Global Destinations Cities Index has named the most visited cities around the world and London, England, was voted No. 1 overall for the second-consecutive year.
According to Emily Payne of the Daily Mail, the compiled list estimates London will host 18.82 million international overnight visitors in 2015, a six percent increase from last year. This was the fifth time in seven years that London was ranked No. 1 overall.
London finished ranked first out of 132 cities around the world, and the index estimates travelers visiting the city will spend an astonishing £13.3 billion (over $20 billion), a 2.3 percent increase.
The mayor of England's capital city, Boris Johnson, spoke about the honor with the Daily Mail, saying, "'I'm delighted that London has proudly held on to this coveted title, as we celebrate another triumphant and record-breaking year for tourism in the city. With its unrivalled mix of history, culture, culinary gems and cutting-edge creativity, I'm confident that these accolades will keep coming as the capital continues to surprise and excite visitors from all over the world."
While London was able to take the top spot, the city narrowly edged out Bangkok, Thailand, which is expecting 18.24 million visitors this year. The most stunning news from the Global Destinations Cities Index, though, was that New York City had dropped out of the top five.
New York is the most visited city in the United States, with an estimated 12.27 million visitors in 2015, but it was surpassed by both Paris, France (16.06 million) and Istanbul, Turkey (14.26 million) in the top five.
Here are the top 10 most visited cities via Global Destinations Cities Index:
1. London: 18.82 million
2. Bangkok: 18.24 million
3. Paris: 16.06 million visitors
4. Dubai: 14.26 million visitors
5. Istanbul: 12.56 million visitors
6. New York: 12.27 million visitors
7. Singapore: 11.88 million visitors
8. Kuala Lumpur: 11.12 million visitors
9. Seoul: 10.35 million visitors
10. Hong Kong: 8.66 million visitors
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