London is the top destination city in the world, based on a recent Master Card Global Destinations Cities Index, an annual report that analyzes both visitor traffic and cross-border travel spending in 132 cities around the globe.

Despite a challenging economic environment, the overall travel and tourism picture is predicted to be fairly strong for 2012. International visitor numbers are expected to increase by a healthy 5.7 percent and associated spending to swell by 10.6 percent for the top 20 ranked cities in the report, compared to 2011.

In London, visitor numbers are set to go up 1.1 percent and visitor spending is predicted to increase by 10.3 percent, fueled by the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games.

The outlook for international travel to, and expenditure in, Europe is fairly rosy for 2012, according to the report. The top ten cities show a 2.8 percent projected combined overall increase in visitor numbers and an expected 8.1 percent rise in total international spending.

The average international spend per visit should rise for these European cities to USD 1,172, up 5.1 percent on last year.

Despite Western Europe’s economic troubles, major cities including Dublin, Brussels, Lisbon, Barcelona, Vienna and Frankfurt should see an increase in their international visitor spending during 2012, while only Prague, Madrid and Athens are projected to experience a fall.

editor@romania-insider.com