The London-based market research firm Euromonitor International compiled a list of the top one hundred cities in terms of international tourist arrivals. The top ten cities are:

1. Hong Kong;

2. Singapore;

3. Bangkok, Thailand;

4. London, United Kingdom;

5. Macau;

6. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;

7. Shenzhen, China
;

8. New York City, USA;

9. Antalya, Turkey
;

10. Paris, France.

Six of the top ten cities and one third of the top one hundred destinations are located on the Asian continent. The only Western cities in the top ten list were London, New York, Antalya, and Paris. Antalya, Turkey, may seem a surprising addition, beating out Paris for the third Western city spot but visitors remark on its unique blend of eastern and western cultures.

Visitors from China accounted for 64 percent of all inbound visitors to Hong Kong sending it to the top. Chinese citizens still mostly travel domestically, and of the ones who can afford to go abroad, the majority of them don't go too far. Singapore receives tourists primarily from Malaysia, Indonesia and China.

The report says that most of Chinese tourism being domestic was also caused by a stronger Yuan (meaning higher prices for foreigners) and pollution, which dissuaded international tourists from visiting China. Bangkok jumped up a few spots and the report predicts strong grown from Chinese and Russians, who will find Thailand attractions appealing and nearby as well.

The Middle East saw a recovery from the after-shock of the Arab Spring and cities like Cairo saw a jump in international visitors. In the past years, the top five countries for international departures were Germany, the U.S., the U.K., China and Russia, likely due to a combination of wealth and population size. Tourism industries can expect to grow in an increasingly globalized world where the average wealth is increasing.