On September 9, the World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference 2026 was held in Beijing. At the conference, the World Tourism Cities Development Report (2025-2026) (hereinafter referred to as the Report) was released.

The Report evaluates 100 cities worldwide, and ranks the top 10 tourism cities in 2025–2026 as follows: New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Milan, Istanbul, and Dubai. Beijing is ranked 5th, up two places compared with 2024–2025, with outstanding performance in smart governance and security assurance.

Beijing's "digital intelligence + tourism" model has gained international recognition. According to the Report, in terms of urban smartness, New York is ranked first and Beijing second. In terms of tourism safety, Sapporo is ranked first and followed by Beijing. The result that the majority of the top 20 cities are from the Asia-Pacific region reflects that a stable social environment, reliable public transportation, timely medical assistance, and effective risk response are key factors for international tourists when choosing destinations.

In terms of regional performance, the Asia-Pacific region has been active in visa facilitation, aviation recovery, digital services, security governance, and cultural consumption innovation, emerging as a major driver for global tourism growth and innovation. Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are among the top 10 cities, while Hangzhou and Chengdu entered the global top 20, making China the country with the largest number of cities on the list.

(Source: Beijing Daily App)