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:
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Toby Melville/Reuters
1. London
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16.9 million
Visitor spend: $ 21.1 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
2. Paris
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million
Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Chaiwat Subpransom/Reuters
3. Bangkok
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million
Visitor spend: $ 19.3 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Matthew Lee/Reuters
4. Singapore
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 12.7 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Murad Sezer/Reuters
5. Istanbul
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.6 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.6 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Bobby Yip / Reuters
6. Hong Kong
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.5 million
Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Andrea Comas/Reuters
7. Madrid
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.7 million
Visitor spend: $ 11.5 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters
8. Dubai
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.8 million
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IN PICS:World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Johannes Eisele/Reuters
9. Frankfurt
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.9 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters
10. Kuala Lumpur
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 6.4 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters
11. Seoul
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.6 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters
12. Rome
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.3 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
13. New York
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.6 million
Visitor spend: $ 19.4 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Shanghai Pacific Institute for International Strategy/Handout/Reuters
14. Shanghai
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.5 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.3 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Albert Gea/Reuters
15. Barcelona
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.3 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.9 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons
16. Milan
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 7.5 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Olaf Kraak/Reuters
17. Amsterdam
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.9 million
Visitor spend: Figures not available in the survey
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Herwig Prammer/Reuters
18. Vienna
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.7 million
Visitor spend: $ 7.9 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters
19. Beijing
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.2 million
Visitor spend: $ 6.5 million
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IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
Photographs: Pichi Chuang/Reuters
20. Taipei
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 5.4 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.5 million
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