Bangkok ranks 8th in 2026 global tourism city attractiveness index

Bangkok has secured eighth place worldwide in a new global tourism study, with the Thai capital’s tourism ranking placing it ahead of Okinawa and Chicago and just behind Rome.

The 2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index, published by Yanolja Research on July 16, evaluated 261 cities and released rankings for the top 200 based on how travellers discuss and emotionally respond to destinations online.

The index was developed jointly by Yanolja Research, Purdue University’s CHRIBA Institute in the United States and Kyung Hee University’s H&T Analytics Centre in Seoul. Researchers analysed global social media conversations across 14 languages, using data supplied by Brandwatch, to measure both the volume and sentiment of traveller commentary on each city.

New York topped the overall rankings, a result researchers attributed to its combination of global visibility and consistently positive visitor sentiment.

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Paris placed second, followed by Osaka in third, Kyoto in fourth and Seoul in fifth. London took sixth place and Rome seventh, with Bangkok completing the top eight ahead of Okinawa in ninth and Chicago in tenth.

Thailand’s second-largest tourist destination, Chiang Mai, ranked 27th overall in the same index.

The index measured cities across three separate categories: overall performance, awareness, and attractiveness. New York led both the overall and awareness rankings but slipped to third place in the attractiveness category specifically, behind two Asian cities.

Dr SooCheong (Shawn) Jang, professor at Purdue University and director of Yanolja Research, said the results showed that the most competitive tourism cities are no longer simply the most visited or most heavily promoted. He said cities that succeed are those that convert global awareness into emotionally meaningful visitor experiences.

Jang added that New York’s top ranking demonstrated the power of combining unmatched global recognition with strong experiential appeal, while the rise of Asian destinations such as Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul and Okinawa showed that emotional attractiveness is becoming a decisive factor in tourism competitiveness.

Researchers found that roughly 60% of the top-performing destinations in the attractiveness category were located in Asia, reflecting a broader shift in traveller sentiment towards the region.

Japan alone placed eight cities in the wider top 50 for attractiveness, including Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Yokohama and Sapporo alongside Osaka, Kyoto and Okinawa.

The United States recorded the broadest presence in the upper tiers of the index, with 16 American cities in the global top 50 and 19 in the top 100. Beyond New York’s first-place finish, cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington DC also placed inside the top 20.

Beyond a simple ranking, the index is designed as a diagnostic tool for destination managers and governments.

It sorts cities into four categories: Blockbuster Masterpieces, Hidden Gems, Overpackaged Destinations and Market Entry Required, intended to help policymakers and tourism businesses decide whether to prioritise brand promotion, improve visitor experience, develop new attractions, or reposition a destination entirely.

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