Baku, FinanceTime. Mastercard published Global Destinations Cities Index report which gives a deep insight on most visited cities in the World and amount of spending by travelers in each of these cities and its character.

Bangkok is the top-ranked destination city by international overnight visitor arrivals, which is followed by London and Paris according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index.

One of the most favorite destinations for Azerbaijani travelers– Dubai is the top ranked destination city in the Middle East Africa region and has taken 4th place globally.  Besides, Abu Dhabi is the fastest growing in the region with a growth rate of 81 percent, which marks the United Arab Emirates as both the most visited and fastest growing country in the region for the second year in a row.

The Index provides more than a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world. It projects visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 calendar year, while delivering a deeper understanding of how people travel and spend around the world. According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London. The biggest surprise in this year’s Index is Dubai’s jump to the top rank based on international visitor spending of US$31.3 billion, far exceeding the second ranked London estimated at US$19.8 billion.

“The way people travel and spend across borders indicates just how interconnected and important the world’s cities are,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, Mastercard. “As the planning and experience of the trip become increasingly important, Mastercard is bringing all these pieces together seamlessly through innovation and connections.”

For the first time, the Index explores whether visitors travel for business or leisure as well as insights into how international visitors spend, including dining, lodging and shopping.  The 2016 Index shows that among the top 20 cities, more people travel internationally for leisure, except to Shanghai. Visitors to the top 20 overwhelmingly spent more while shopping, as opposed to dining, except in Europe, where meals captured greater share of spend in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Istanbul, Milan, Paris, Prague and Vienna.

The Index also provides insight into top destination cities in each region. Asia Pacific region dominates both the global top 10and Top 10 fastest growing destination cities. London, ranked second globally and first in Europe, is the top feeder city in terms of visitor and spending volume for all other cities that round out the top European destinations: Paris, Istanbul, Barcelona and Amsterdam. When it comes to Latin America region Lima is both the top destination and fastest growing city in the region, with 4.03 million visitors. However, the rankings are very different in terms of overnight visitor spend: Punta Cana leads the region with US$2.95 billion followed by Mexico City (US$2.27 billion).

Mastercard understands the significant role that cities play as centers of commerce, reflected in efforts to deliver technologies that provide greater efficiencies and convenience for governments and people. One example is the broad adoption of contactless payments by transit systems like London and Chicago. The insights from this report can also help airlines, hotels and other merchants create smarter, more relevant and customized experiences for their customers.

The full report is available here.