Seoul has ranked 10th in the 'World's Most Attractive Cities' list. Amidst intense global tourism competitiveness, Seoul has entered the top 10 for the first time, enhancing its presence among major Asian cities.

CNN reported on the 4th (local time) that Seoul ranked 10th in the 'Top 100 Cities Worldwide' announced by Euromonitor International, a global data analysis company that comprehensively evaluates the tourism competitiveness of cities.

Seoul rose two places from 12th last year to 10th this year, entering the top 10 for the first time. Seoul's ranking fell from 16th in 2016 to 24th in 2018, but has since rebounded, recording 14th the year before last and 12th last year, continuing its upward trend.

The evaluation criteria comprehensively assess ▲tourism ▲sustainability ▲economic performance ▲health and safety to analyze the competitiveness of major cities worldwide annually.

● Paris, Ranked 'World's Most Attractive City' for 5 Consecutive Years

Paris claimed the top spot. Paris has been selected as the world's most attractive city for five consecutive years, once again proving its urban competitiveness. This year, six out of the top 10 cities were European, highlighting Europe's strong presence.

Madrid, Spain, ranked 2nd, while Rome and Milan, Italy, ranked 4th and 5th, respectively. Amsterdam, Netherlands, ranked 7th, and Barcelona, Spain, ranked 8th.

In contrast, London, UK, which fell to 13th last year, continued to decline, ranking 18th this year. Among US cities, New York was the only one to make it into the top 10, ranking 6th.

● Rise of Asian Cities…Bangkok Leads in International Visitors

The rise of Asian cities was also notable. Japan's Tokyo maintained its 3rd place from last year, and Singapore held onto 9th place. Notably, Seoul newly entered the top ranks among Asian cities, reaching 10th place.

Asian cities also demonstrated their presence in visitor numbers. Bangkok, Thailand, was selected as the city with the highest tourism policy and attractiveness, and the number one city for international visitors this year. Euromonitor projected that Bangkok's international visitors would reach 30.3 million.

Hong Kong ranked 2nd (23.2 million), London, UK, ranked 3rd (22.7 million), and Macau, known as the 'Las Vegas of China,' ranked 4th (20.4 million).

● 2025 Global Tourism Trend: 'Quality over Quantity'

The report identified addressing overtourism as a global tourism trend for 2025. It explained that cities are shifting their tourism strategies from merely increasing visitor numbers to attracting tourists who stay longer, spend more, and respect local culture and the environment.

Additionally, it analyzed that several countries are raising entry costs and accelerating the introduction of electronic travel authorization (ETA) due to heightened security concerns, increased tourist numbers, and inflationary pressures.

In 2025, the UK and the US have actually increased entry costs, and the European Union (EU) has set higher fees for the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which is scheduled to be introduced next year. Japan is also considering raising visa fees and introducing an electronic travel authorization system, which could be implemented as early as 2028.

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