New York Leads 2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index

A new Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index for 2026 ranks New York City as the most attractive destination worldwide, with Paris taking second place and Rome seventh. The index, compiled by Yanolja Research in partnership with Purdue University and Kyung Hee University, evaluated social‑media conversations in 14 languages about 200 cities, using two main indicators: cognitive awareness (how often a city is mentioned and recognized) and affective appeal (the emotional impact of the visitor experience).

The research found that New York’s high visibility combined with strong visitor sentiment—driven by its museums, Broadway shows, multicultural neighborhoods and iconic skyline—propelled it to the top. Paris remains the leading European city, while Bangkok also entered the top‑10 list. The ranking reflects a shift from traditional visitor‑count metrics toward deeper measures of traveler perception and experience.