Lisbon is the second European city with the highest growth in tourism

Lisbon is the second European city with the most growth among European cities preferred for leisure travel, according to the Global Destination Cities Index study, prepared by Mastercard.

The capital of Lisbon had an average growth of 10.6% between 2009 and 2017. A variation that places it only behind Bucharest, the city that occupies the first place in the ranking. The capital of Romania thus achieved an average growth of 10.7%.

In 2017, 4,94 million international travellers stayed overnight in Lisbon. In 2009, this number was 2.93 million tourists staying at least one night in Lisbon. Tourists who visited the capital last year spent about 2.09 billion dollars (1.78 billion euros).

The third fastest growing European city in Europe for leisure tourism is Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain, with an increase of 9.28% between 2009 and 2017. It is followed by Moscow, Russia, with a growth of 8.79%. Fifth place is Warsaw, Poland, the city recorded an increase of 8.52% and, finally, the city of Hamburg, Germany, which grew by 8.47% between 2009 and 2017, according to data from the Global Destination Cities Index study.

The most popular city for vacations in the world is Punta Cana, which leads the ranking of the 50 most sought-after international destinations. The city of the Dominican Republic occupies the first place with almost 100% of the trips made for the purpose of spending holidays or visiting family. It follows Cusco, in Peru, with 98%, and Djerba, in Tunisia with 97.7%.

The study "shows cities on a global level that are following this trend [of growth] and the ability to distinguish themselves as destinations for fun and leisure for travellers who are increasingly seeking these attributes," said Paulo Raposo, country manager of Mastercard in Portugal, quoted in a statement.