New York City lands third on the world's 'most attractive' cities list, behind Osaka and Kyoto

A new global study that analyzed how travelers discuss 261 cities has ranked New York ahead of both Seoul and Paris.

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New Yorkers don't exactly need outside confirmation that their hometown is easy on the eyes, but it's always nice when the rest of the planet agrees — especially with Paris, Seoul and virtually every other major city in the running.

The Big Apple came in third on Yanolja Research's latest global ranking of 'most attractive' tourism cities, sitting behind two Japanese powerhouses: Osaka took the top spot and Kyoto placed second. Seoul followed in fourth, while Paris — yes, that Paris — settled for fifth.

Before anyone starts debating whether the Brooklyn Bridge outshines the Eiffel Tower, it's worth noting that 'attractiveness' here goes beyond conventional good looks. Yanolja Research's Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index measures destinations from a traveler's point of view, blending how much attention a city receives with how positively people actually talk about it. The 2026 study looked at 261 cities and ultimately ranked the top 200.

The researchers analyzed online conversations in 14 languages between June 2025 and May 2026, drawing on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, X, Reddit, Facebook, blogs, forums and review sites. News and broadcast media were excluded, and AI was used to gauge positive and negative sentiment.

New York scored especially well on urban aesthetics and natural scenery, experiential tourism and hospitality. In its write-up, Yanolja Research described the city as a place where Central Park and the skyline coexist with Broadway, pro sports, dining, nightlife and a broad mix of visitor experiences.

Under the methodology, urban aesthetics and natural scenery, culture and history, and experiential tourism content each carry 30 percent of the weighting, with hospitality accounting for the remaining 10 percent. The overall index then balances awareness and attractiveness equally, meaning a city needs both real online buzz and favorable sentiment to move up the list.

Osaka came out on top thanks in part to enthusiastic reactions to its food, shopping, hotels, theme parks and nightlife, while Kyoto earned praise for its blend of traditional culture, historic sites, scenery and hospitality. As for New York, third place on Earth isn't bad at all — and beating Paris in an attractiveness contest is definitely something we'll keep bringing up.

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