International travel has continued to make a strong recovery in 2023 with 38 percent growth in terms of overseas trips, projected to reach 1.3 billion by the end of the year.

Istanbul tops the list with 20.2 million international arrivals in 2023. The city saw a 26 percent year-over-year visitor growth from 2022 to 2023, according to Euromonitor International.

London came in the second spot followed by Dubai, Antalya and Paris.

Wealth of dazzling cultural sites and crossover of Asian and European culture are cited as a factor in the surge in Istanbul tourists.

Hong Kong (2495 percent) and Bangkok (142 percent) saw the biggest year-on-year growth in international arrivals as they were among the last to reopen after the pandemic.