Wednesday 5th November: London has been ranked the World’s Best City for the 11th year in new research by Resonance, supported by Ipsos and revealed today at WTM London.
New York came second in the report and Paris third. Overall, the United States had the most cities in the 2026 Top 100 with 19, followed by Germany with eight and China with seven.
The 2026 World’s Best Cities Report scored global cities for their liveability - including access to green spaces, public transport and clean air; lovability - considering culture, nightlife and social media engagement; and prosperity - incorporating economic strength, educational attainment and air connectivity.
The report, presented by Resonance and Ipsos, was exclusively launched at WTM London during a press conference conducted by Chris Fair, Resonance President and CEO, and creator of World’s Best Cities.
It combines global user-generated data, core statistical performance, and new proprietary research - including a landmark Ipsos survey of more than 21,000 respondents across 30 countries, to create the world’s most comprehensive cities ranking.
London secured its first place by scoring first for prosperity, second for lovability and third for liveability in the research.
New York was helped to second place by its ongoing investment in its cultural economy, massive urban infrastructure projects, and the continued global infatuation with the city, despite the US political shift from globalisation affecting ‘brand perceptions’.
Third placed Paris is meanwhile noted to be thriving as a future-focused city with an historic backdrop.
The Top 10 World's Best Cities for 2026 are:
1. London
2. New York
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Madrid
6. Singapore
7. Rome
8. Dubai
9. Berlin
10. Barcelona
The report also highlights issues currently affecting cities. These include the climate effects of extreme heat, urban wildfires and water shortages and the need for energy transition.
The uneven post-covid rebound of international demand was another challenge as were, for some countries, shifting global perceptions.
Chris Fair, President & CEO of Resonance Consultancy said: “For leaders shaping tomorrow’s urban landscape – whether through capital allocation, location strategy, infrastructure development, or destination marketing – this report offers more than rankings.
“It provides strategic intelligence, risk assessment, and a roadmap to the cities and opportunities defining the next decade of global growth.”
Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director at WTM London said: We’re delighted to hear London has once again been named the World’s Best City. This recognition reinforces why WTM London, the most influential travel and tourism event globally, is proudly hosted here. London’s status as a global hub for industry innovation, deal-making and strategic partnerships makes it the perfect home for shaping the future of travel.”
The full 2026 World’s Best Cities report is available here.
There was more city trends news in this year’s WTM Global Travel Report, produced in association with Tourism Economics, which was unveiled on the opening day of WTM London.
Cities are seeing particularly strong growth for international tourism, the report says, reversing a shift to more rural destinations during and following the pandemic.
The world’s 50 largest city destinations will this year see international visits exceed 2019 volumes by almost one-quarter. This compares to growth of 5% for all country destinations.
In fact, the world’s 100 largest city destinations are seeing similar overperformance and the trend is expected to continue through to the end of the decade.
A recovery in business travel, a renewed interest in cultural tourism and events, and improved connectivity are all credited with contributing to the recent boom.
By 2023 the 50 largest city destinations are predicted to see additional arrivals of more than 40% compared to this year, while globally, country destinations are expected to record an increase of one-third.
Dubai and Bangkok are particularly highlighted by the trends report. Both are expected to see growth of 50% or more in leisure arrivals in the next five years.
New York and Los Angeles are meanwhile predicted to see around 30% more arrivals and London, Istanbul and Tokyo 20% or more. The trend is similar for several smaller cities including Tunis and Sydney (both +50%) and Lima and Cape Town (both +40%).
WTM London, the most influential travel and tourism event in the world, has its own impact on the UK’s largest city, having contributed approximately £200 million to the London economy over last year’s event according to data from VisitBritain and research by Deloitte.
ENDS
For all media enquiries, additional comment and request for interview please contact
Becca Krug and Evie Nicholls at Davies Tanner:
Tel: +44 (0)1892 619100
wtmpr@daviestanner.com
Notes to Editors
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises of leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel and tourism event for the international leisure l travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Next event: 4 to 6 November 2025 at ExCel London.
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2024 welcomed over 47,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,600 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next event: 4 to 6 May 2026, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place from 28 April, within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2024. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Influencers’ events, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, as well as a series of country forums.
Arabian Travel Week is a 10-day long festival of travel and tourism events that take place in Dubai. All eyes are on the city, as Dubai invites the international travel industry to come together each year and take part in the events so that we can shape the future of travel together. The travel events that are part of Arabian Travel Week include ATM Start Up Competition, ATM Travel Tech, GBTA Business Travel Forums and Buyer Networking.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Latin America is held annually in São Paulo and attracts more than 29,000 tourism professionals and almost 800 exhibiting companies during the three-day event. The event offers a qualified content combined with networking and business opportunities. In its latest edition, in 2024, WTM Latin America kept its focus on effective business generation and was able to schedule in advance six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors.
WTM Latin America contents are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Next event: 14 to 16 April 2026 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event welcomes 6,000 travel industry professionals to Africa’s leading and only business to business (B2B) exhibition for both the inbound and outbound African travel and tourism markets.
Next event: 13 to 15 April 2026 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
About ATW Connect: Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/
About RX
RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.
About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX.
*Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors
Share:
