IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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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
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1. London
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16.9 million
Visitor spend: $ 21.1 million
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Image: A man looks through a telescope opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, in central London
Photographs: Toby Melville/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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2. Paris
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million
Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million
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Image: A Paris Autolib' electric car is parked near the Eiffel tower during a presentation ride in Paris
Photographs: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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3. Bangkok
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 16 million
Visitor spend: $ 19.3 million
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Image: 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
Photographs: Chaiwat Subpransom/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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4. Singapore
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 12.7 million
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Image: An aerial view shows the main grand stand and the F1 pit building behind the Singapore Flyer observation wheel at dusk
Photographs: Matthew Lee/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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5. Istanbul
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 11.6 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.6 million
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Photographs: Murad Sezer/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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6. Hong Kong
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.5 million
Visitor spend: $ 17.8 million
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Image: The eighty-eight storey high Two IFC, the highest building in Hong Kong, stands on the waterfront facing the territory's Victoria Harbour
Photographs: Bobby Yip / Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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7. Madrid
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 9.7 million
Visitor spend: $ 11.5 million
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Image: Women in costumes adorned with old lottery tickets attend the draw for Spain's Christmas Lottery
Photographs: Andrea Comas/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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8. Dubai
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.8 million
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Image: A keeper helps tourists dismount from a camel in the Dubai desert
Photographs: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters
IN PICS:World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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9. Frankfurt
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.9 million
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Image: A Lufthansa Boeing 747 passenger plane lands in front of Frankfurt's skyline
Photographs: Johannes Eisele/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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10. Kuala Lumpur
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 6.4 million
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Image: The new Monorail Malaysia train passes the Petronas Twin Towers during a test run in Kuala Lumpur.
Photographs: Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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11. Seoul
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 8 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.6 million
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Image: A man pulls a cart as he walks along sculptures of Roses of Sharon covering the fences of Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul.
Photographs: Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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12. Rome
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.8 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.3 million
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Image: Rome's ancient Colosseum is lit up to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center.
Photographs: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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13. New York
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.6 million
Visitor spend: $ 19.4 million
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Image: Vehicles drive past the New York Times headquarters in New York.
Photographs: Lucas Jackson/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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14. Shanghai
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.5 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.3 million
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Image: An aerial view, released April 14, 2010 shows Nanpu Bridge, built from funds provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in Shanghai.
Photographs: Shanghai Pacific Institute for International Strategy/Handout/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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15. Barcelona
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.3 million
Visitor spend: $ 8.9 million
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Image: General view of Antoni Tapies Foundation building in central Barcelona.
Photographs: Albert Gea/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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16. Milan
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 7.1 million
Visitor spend: $ 7.5 million
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Image: Collage of Milan City
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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17. Amsterdam
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.9 million
Visitor spend: Figures not available in the survey
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Image: A woman and her children board a tram painted pink in Amsterdam to celebrate the arrival of the Giro d'Italia in Amsterdam
Photographs: Olaf Kraak/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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18. Vienna
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.7 million
Visitor spend: $ 7.9 million
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Image: Vienna's United Nations headquarters is pictured during a visit of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to mark the 30th anniversary of the Vienna International Centre in Vienna
Photographs: Herwig Prammer/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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19. Beijing
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 6.2 million
Visitor spend: $ 6.5 million
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Image: Tourists gather around a giant red lantern on display at Beijing's Tiananmen Square
Photographs: Jason Lee/Reuters
IN PICS: World's TOP 20 destinations for 2012
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20. Taipei
Likely number of visitors in 2012: 5.4 million
Visitor spend: $ 10.5 million
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Image: A general view of the Taipei skyline shows the Taipei 101 building shortly before the city participated in Earth Hour.
Photographs: Pichi Chuang/Reuters
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