Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities

MasterCard’s ‘Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities’ has come up with a list of the top 20 global destinations that will see a huge stream of visitors in 2012.

The index has ranked these cities based on the number of visitors these places expect this year, along with the average amount these visitors will be spending on their sojourns.

Using information gleaned from 87 airlines, national tourism boards, the United Nations and other global agencies, the MasterCard Index offers an optimistic overall forecast.

Using these results, in the following pages we bring you the most popular destinations of 2012

A man looks through a telescope opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, in central London

1. London

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16.9 million

Visitor spend: $ 21.1 million

A Paris Autolib' electric car is parked near the Eiffel tower during a presentation ride in Paris

2. Paris

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million

Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million

A Buddhist monk sweeps the floor next to a giant statue of Buddha at Klang Kret temple in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok

3. Bangkok

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million

Visitor spend: $ 19.3 million

An aerial view shows the main grand stand and the F1 pit building behind the Singapore Flyer observation wheel at dusk

4. Singapore

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.8 million

Visitor spend: $ 12.7 million

Murad Sezer/Reuters

5. Istanbul

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.6 million

Visitor spend: $ 10.6 million

The eighty-eight storey high Two IFC, the highest building in Hong Kong, stands on the waterfront facing the territory's Victoria Harbour

6. Hong Kong

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.5 million

Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million

Women in costumes adorned with old lottery tickets attend the draw for Spain's Christmas Lottery

7. Madrid

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.7 million

Visitor spend: $ 11.5 million

A keeper helps tourists dismount from a camel in the Dubai desert

8. Dubai

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.8 million

Visitor spend: $ 8.8 million

A Lufthansa Boeing 747 passenger plane lands in front of Frankfurt's skyline

9. Frankfurt

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million

Visitor spend: $ 10.9 million

The new Monorail Malaysia train passes the Petronas Twin Towers during a test run in Kuala Lumpur.

10. Kuala Lumpur

Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million

Visitor spend: $ 6.4 million

World’s TOP 20 destinations for 2012