Johannesburg has come out as the only sub-Saharan African country to have made it to the Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations Ranking.
Euromonitor International has released the 2017 edition of the Top 100 City Destinations Ranking at the World Travel Market (WTM) London, incorporating WTM Global Travel Trends to provide insight on how cities are at the forefront of tourism growth and innovation and how travel trends are borne out of the opportunities and challenges that cities face.
Johannesburg is the only sub-Saharan Africa city in the top 100, with tourism considered a pillar of its economic growth strategy. The city’s Smart Access Programme aims to give free Wi-Fi to all in the city by 2020. 300MB of free Wi-Fi per day is already available at bus stations and theatres.
Dubai is by far the largest destination in the MEA region, but Saudi Arabia has three cities in the top ranking.
The Top Ten Middle East and African Cities are:
1. Dubai
2. Mecca
3. Johannesburg
4. Riyadh
5. Dammam City
6. Cairo
7. Doha
8. Jerusalem
9. Tel Aviv
10. Marrakech
According to the report, Hong Kong holds the title of most visited city in the world for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Bangkok and London, which represents the most visited city in Europe and the only European city in the top ten ranking, along with Paris.