In this piece, we will take a look at the 35 best destinations in the world for cultural tourism. For more cities, head on over to 5 Best Destinations in the World for Cultural Tourism.
One sector that has been hit hard over the past couple of years is the tourism industry. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic sapped global travel and forced populations all over the world into lockdowns. Estimates from the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (WTO) show that the virus almost decimated the global tourism industry. This is due to the fact that international travel shrank by 72% in 2020 leading to 1.1 billion fewer trips taken and setting back the industry three decades in terms of the number of travelers. The monetary impact of this disruption was perhaps as bad as it can get. Estimates from the UNWTO show that international tourist arrivals, export revenues from tourism, and tourism gross domestic product (TGDP) had stood at 1.5 billion visitors, $1.7 trillion, and $3.5 trillion in 2019, respectively. Then, as the virus spread and the industry collapsed, these metrics dropped to 406 million, $651 billion, and $1.7 trillion, respectively, in 2020.
However, by 2022 the situation had stabilized quite a bit. International tourism recovered to 65% of pre-pandemic levels, with the number of tourists sitting at 900 million and further expected to reach up to 95% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023. Regionally, Europe outpaced the broader market in terms of recovery as total arrivals stood at nearly 80% of 2019 and Western Europe recovered even faster at 87% and the Caribbean came in second place with the total number of visitors sitting at 84% of 2019 levels.
Even as the industry started to recover in 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine gave a second shock to the global economy last year. While the invasion did not stop global travel, it did cause historic inflation in nearly every country and ended up straining budgets that would otherwise have been reserved for luxury or recreational spending. Higher fuel prices reduced the distance that people would travel for their trips and preferred fewer international destinations as air fares surged. However, even though global air travel did not stop, countries closest to the conflict suffered the most. More data from the UNWTO reveals that flights to Moldova, Slovenia, Latvia, and Finland dropped by 69%, 42%, 38%, and 36%, respectively.
Building on this, several countries in the world have large portions of their GDP dependent on tourism. ReportLinker Research shares that Spain, Iceland, and the Philippines rely heavily on tourism as it accounted for 12.5%, 9.5%, and 9.3% of their GDP in 2020, respectively. Iceland was the fastest growing region with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.37% between 2015 and 2020. However, neither of these countries broke into the top five global destinations for cultural tourism. In fact, in 2021, Hungary ranked first in the number of global cultural attraction enterprises with 46,280 units, and the U.K. and Austria came in second and third places, respectively.
Additionally, tourism is divided into several categories, such as business tourism, adventure tourism, luxury travel, medical travel, and others. Each of these segments is worth billions of dollars. Starting from business tourism, research from Allied Markets Research believes that this subsegment was worth $696 billion in 2020 and will grow at a CAGR of 13.2% between then and 2028 to sit at $2 trillion by the end of the forecast period. Grand View Research takes a look at adventure tourism and outlines that the market was worth $282 billion in 2021 and will grow at a faster rate of 15.1% to be worth $1 trillion in 2030. Grand View Research also has estimates for the luxury travel industry, sharing that it was the most valuable sector out of the ones discussed so far and was worth $1.28 trillion in 2022. This segment is expected to post a growth rate of 7.6% and be worth $2.32 trillion in 2030. Finally, Precedence Research analyzes the medical tourism segment to find out that it generated $115.6 billion in revenue in 2022 and will grow by 11.59% for a final value of $346 billion by 2032.
To take a look at how the industry is doing right now, let’s see what executives of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) said during the firm’s latest earnings call:
The international mix of our total room nights in Q1 was about 53% which was the highest quarterly mix since 2019 but still a couple of percentage points below Q1 2019. Our cancellation rates in the first quarter were below Q1 2022 and Q1 2019. For our alternative accommodations of Booking.com, our Q1 room night growth rate was about 45% year-on-year and the global mix alternative accommodation room nights was about 33% which was higher than about 31% in Q1 2022. We are pleased with the progress we made in North America alternative accommodations where growth in the first quarter was much stronger than the global average. Q1 gross bookings increased 44% year-over-year or 52% on a constant currency basis. The 44% increase in gross bookings was 6 percentage points higher than the 38% room night increase due to 9% higher accommodation constant currency ADRs and also due to a couple of points from strong flight booking growth, partially offset by the 8 percentage points of negative impact from FX movements.
With these details in mind, let’s take a look at the best destinations in the world for cultural tourism.
Pixabay / Public Domain
Our Methodology
To compile our list of the world’s top cultural tourism destinations, we used the list of global heritage sites most visited by the members of the Word Heritage Site a private community of travelers dedicated to visiting the locations listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The number of visits of WHS travelers to the top sites related to cultural tourism is a great indicator to find the best destinations in the world for cultural tourism.
Best Destinations in the World for Cultural Tourism
35. Great Wall of China
Number of WHS Visitors: 550
The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous historic and cultural sites in the world and a rare man made structure visible from space.
34. City of Luxembourg
Number of WHS Visitors: 583
The City of Luxembourg is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and a perfect place for cultural tourism as the entire city is a World Heritage Site.
33. Kraków
Number of WHS Visitors: 584
Kraków is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland. The Kraków Old Town has a history starting from the ninth century.
32. Museumsinsel (Museum Island)
Number of WHS Visitors: 591
Museum Island is a German town located in Berlin. It is one of the most visited destinations in Berlin.
31. Naples
Number of WHS Visitors: 499
Naples is one of the largest cities in Italy and has countless historical buildings that have stood for thousands of years.
30. City of Bath
Number of WHS Visitors: 499
The City of Bath is a British city that has stood since the time of the Romans.
29. Seville
Number of WHS Visitors: 600
Seville is a Spanish city and has three historic sites that are linked to Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America.
28. Granada
Number of WHS Visitors: 606
Granada is a Spanish city with cultural sites documenting the rise of modern day religions.
27. Belem
Number of WHS Visitors: 606
Belem is a Portuguese city that once stood at the heart of the Portuguese Empire.
26. Grand Canyon
Number of WHS Visitors: 609
The Grand Canyon is located in America and is central to Native American culture in the U.S.
25. Stonehenge
Number of WHS Visitors: 619
Stonehenge is one of the oldest sites on our list, built thousands of years back.
24. Pompeii
Number of WHS Visitors: 636
Pompeii provides one of the best glimpses into daily Roman lives, as the city was frozen in time due to a volcanic eruption.
23. Salzburg
Number of WHS Visitors: 654
Salzburg is central to European culture as it is full of cathedrals and fortresses.
22. Cologne Cathedral
Number of WHS Visitors: 688
The Cologne Cathedral took over six centuries to build and is a work of Gothic architecture.
21. Istanbul
Number of WHS Visitors: 691
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and full of museums and other places.
20. Bruges
Number of WHS Visitors: 700
Bruges is a Belgian city with one of the biggest belfries in the world.
19. Schönbrunn
Number of WHS Visitors: 704
Schönbrunn is located in Vienna and was home to one of Europe’s most consequential political dynasties.
18. Edinburgh
Number of WHS Visitors: 708
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, providing it with a unique taste of Scottish history.
17. Piazza dei Miracoli
Number of WHS Visitors: 710
Piazza dei Miracoli is a historic cathedral square in the Italian city of Pisa.
16. Acropolis
Number of WHS Visitors: 722
Acropolis is a citadel in Athens – the city at the root of modern day civilization.
15. Works of Antoni Gaudí
Number of WHS Visitors: 775
The works of Antoni Gaudi are mostly located in Barcelona and sit at the heart of Spanish culture.
14. Versailles
Number of WHS Visitors: 780
Versailles is one of the most historic cities in the world, which was once the heart of the French monarchy.
13. Budapest
Number of WHS Visitors: 797
Budapest is a city in Hungary.
12. Grand Place, Brussels
Number of WHS Visitors: 805
The Grand Palace of Brussels is the central square of Brussels, Belgium, and marks the country’s journey through history.
11. Statue of Liberty
Number of WHS Visitors: 822
The Statue of Liberty sits right at the heart of American history and freedom from the British.
10. Prague
Number of WHS Visitors: 849
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and an important reminder of the perils of war.
9. Florence
Number of WHS Visitors: 885
Florence is an Italian city known for its artistic history.
8. Venice and its Lagoon
Number of WHS Visitors: 886
The Venetian Lagoon is made of hundreds of canals and bridges and is a landmark for European trade.
7. Vatican City
Number of WHS Visitors: 888
The Vatican is the heart of Catholic Christianity and has stood for centuries.
6. Vienna
Number of WHS Visitors: 900
Vienna is Austria’s largest city and the origin point of classical music and psychoanalysis.
Click to continue reading and see 5 Best Destinations in the World for Cultural Tourism.
Suggested Articles:
- 30 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
- 20 Best Cities for Singles in their 30s
- 25 Most Diverse Cities in the U.S. to Retire In
Disclosure: None. 35 Best Destinations in the World for Cultural Tourism is originally published on Insider Monkey.