UK Leads European Welcoming Cities Ranking as London Wins Global Traveller Confidence Ahead of The Hague and Copenhagen to Take an Impressive Second Place Worldwide

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July 30, 2026 12:35 GMT+5:30

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London has been ranked as Europe’s most welcoming urban destination and the second worldwide, behind Singapore. The new Welcoming Cities assessment compared 200 destinations through safety, English proficiency, social support, visitor information, entry openness and online search interest. Edinburgh also secured eleventh place, giving the UK two positions within the global top twenty. Nine European cities entered that leading group, including destinations in the Netherlands, Denmark and Czechia. The findings may guide first-time visitors and city-break travellers. However, they represent comparative research rather than an official government tourism index.

London Leads Europe as Recent Tourism Data Shows Uneven Growth

London’s position as Europe’s highest-ranked welcoming city comes alongside its substantial tourism scale. However, no complete official London footfall total covering January to June 2026 had been published by 30 July. The latest official assessment shows that Greater London recorded about 154 million domestic and international visitor nights during 2024. This represented a 5.1 per cent increase from roughly 146 million nights in 2019. Domestic visitor nights reached approximately 37 million, rising 33.2 per cent from 2019. International visitor nights stood near 117 million, remaining 1.5 per cent below their pre-pandemic level. Separate official figures counted more than 20 million international overnight visits to London during 2024.

Recent European data show growth beyond London, although reporting periods and geographical boundaries differ. Prague welcomed 1.7 million accommodation guests during the first quarter of 2026, up 4.7 per cent annually. Those visitors generated 3.8 million overnight stays, an increase of 7 per cent. Copenhagen recorded 13 million overnight stays during 2025, while The Hague reported more than 2.9 million during 2024. The latest Brno-area figures cover the wider South Moravian Region. That region received 314,800 guests during the first quarter of 2026, up 2 per cent. They generated 549,700 nights, representing annual growth of 5.7 per cent.

The comparison confirms London’s far greater tourism volume, but it should not become a direct performance league table. London’s figure includes all visitor nights, while Prague reports registered accommodation guests and stays. Brno’s latest information covers a wider regional area. Copenhagen and The Hague also use different annual reporting periods. These methodological differences prevent a precise city-for-city footfall ratio.

Nevertheless, the available evidence reveals meaningful trends. Prague recorded the strongest recent percentage growth among the destinations with first-quarter 2026 data. Its international market remained particularly important, accounting for 1.3 million of its 1.7 million guests. Foreign travellers also generated 3.2 million of Prague’s 3.8 million overnight stays. In percentage terms, international visitors represented approximately 77 per cent of guests and 84 per cent of nights.

The South Moravian Region recorded slower overall growth during the same quarter. Domestic demand drove its 2 per cent increase in guests. Resident arrivals rose 5 per cent, while international guest numbers declined 2.7 per cent. Foreign travellers still represented 116,300 of the region’s 314,800 guests, or nearly 37 per cent. The average visitor stayed 1.7 nights.

London’s welcoming-city recognition may strengthen its visibility during future booking searches. However, the ranking itself does not prove that recent footfall caused the result. It also cannot confirm that the ranking has increased arrivals. That connection would require later statistics covering accommodation demand, international visits and visitor spending after July 2026.

Six Measures Explain Why the Cities Performed Strongly

The ranking examined safety, English proficiency, social support, tourism information services, national entry openness and relevant online searches. Researchers converted each indicator into a score between zero and 100. They then combined the results through a weighted system. However, the methodology does not reveal the weighting assigned to each category. The final positions therefore show overall comparative performance without explaining which factor contributed most to each city’s result.

London, The Hague, Copenhagen, Prague and Brno entered the top twenty under this combined assessment. London ranked second globally, while The Hague secured seventh place. Copenhagen finished ninth, Prague ranked sixteenth and Brno took twentieth position. These results suggest that each destination performed consistently across several visitor-related measures. However, they do not show that every city achieved identical results for safety, language access or tourism services.

The six assessed areas included:

• Safety: Perceived personal security and reported concerns about crime.
• English proficiency: The general ability to communicate with English-speaking visitors.
• Social support: The availability of wider community support within the country.
• Tourism information: The number of recorded visitor and information services.
• Entry openness: The number of nationalities receiving facilitated national access.
• Online interest: Searches connecting each destination with friendly or welcoming experiences.

The framework measures practical accessibility rather than personal friendliness alone. Visitors may consider a destination welcoming when they can find information, communicate clearly and travel with confidence. Yet these indicators cannot guarantee a consistent experience across every neighbourhood. They also exclude accommodation prices, public transport costs, attraction quality, congestion and seasonal crowding.

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The Hague and Copenhagen Maintain Strong Accommodation Demand

The Hague recorded more than 2.9 million overnight stays during 2024, representing growth of 74 per cent compared with 2019. This expansion made it the second-largest tourism city in the Netherlands by the stated official measure. Updated information showed that international overnight stays increased by another 2 per cent during 2025. However, that growth remained below the average increase recorded across the other largest Dutch cities. Complete January-to-June 2026 city figures were unavailable when this comparison was prepared.

Copenhagen recorded 13 million accommodation nights during 2025, representing annual growth of 3.6 per cent. This total established a sizeable tourism base before the city secured ninth place in the welcoming assessment. Separate national data showed Denmark recording 19.3 million tourism nights between January and May 2026. That national total increased by 810,000 nights, or 4 per cent, from the corresponding 2025 period. However, it covers the entire country and cannot be presented as Copenhagen’s city total.

The Hague and Copenhagen consequently show different patterns. The Hague recorded strong long-term recovery from 2019, while Copenhagen maintained growth from an already substantial base. Both cities may receive additional visibility from their ranking positions. Yet no official data confirm that the ranking has already raised bookings, hotel occupancy or tourism spending. Future accommodation releases will be required to identify any measurable change after the assessment appeared.

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Prague and Brno Record Growth but Follow Different Tourism Patterns

Prague welcomed 1.7 million registered accommodation guests during the first quarter of 2026. This represented an annual increase of 4.7 per cent, or approximately 74,400 additional guests. International travellers accounted for 1.3 million arrivals and represented 77 per cent of the total. Domestic visitors numbered approximately 385,400, contributing the remaining 23 per cent. Germany supplied the largest identified foreign market with 178,100 visitors, followed by the UK with 117,700 and Italy with 99,800.

Accommodation providers in Prague recorded 3.8 million overnight stays during the quarter, almost 250,000 more than one year earlier. This represented growth of 7 per cent. International travellers generated 3.2 million nights, accounting for 84 per cent of the total. Domestic visitors generated approximately 619,300 nights and represented 16 per cent. Overnight stays therefore grew faster than guest arrivals, indicating that total accommodation use increased more quickly than visitor numbers during the period.

The latest figures associated with Brno cover the wider South Moravian Region. The region received 314,800 accommodation guests during the first quarter of 2026, representing annual growth of 2 per cent. Domestic visitors increased by 5 per cent to 198,500. International arrivals declined by 2.7 per cent to 116,300. Foreign travellers still formed nearly 37 per cent of total guests, while domestic travellers accounted for approximately 63 per cent.

The region recorded 549,700 overnight stays during the quarter, representing growth of 5.7 per cent. Domestic nights increased by 9 per cent, while international nights remained almost unchanged. Visitors stayed an average of 1.7 nights. Slovakia provided the largest foreign market with 25,700 guests, followed by Poland with 20,400. Germany, Austria and Ukraine also ranked among the leading overseas sources. These results show that domestic travel supported the region’s overall expansion.

What the Ranking Means for Travellers and Tourism Businesses

The ranking may influence destination research because travellers often compare safety, communication and information access before booking. London’s position could reinforce its established role within international city-break travel. The Hague may gain wider attention beyond the Netherlands’ most visited destinations. Copenhagen and Prague already maintain substantial overseas tourism markets, while Brno could receive greater exposure among travellers seeking less heavily visited urban centres.

Hotels, restaurants, attractions, transport operators and travel agencies could benefit if greater visibility becomes confirmed demand. However, the existing figures only describe tourism before or around the ranking’s publication. They do not prove that the assessment caused additional stays, employment, investment or visitor spending. Later accommodation reports will provide stronger evidence. Until then, any economic effect should be described as possible rather than confirmed.

Travellers considering these cities should remember the following points:

• The ranking does not create permission to enter any country.
• Passport requirements continue to depend on nationality and destination.
• Visa-free access may restrict the length and purpose of a visit.
• Electronic travel approval may remain compulsory for eligible nationalities.
• Transit countries can apply separate document and entry requirements.
• Citywide safety scores may not reflect every neighbourhood.
• Accommodation costs and local charges are not included in the assessment.
• Official travel advice should take priority over a commercial ranking.

These practical conditions remain important because entry openness formed only one part of the assessment. The indicator operates mainly at country level, although the final results rank cities. London follows the UK immigration system, while The Hague follows Dutch requirements. Copenhagen operates under Danish entry rules. Prague and Brno follow Czech national conditions. Travellers must verify requirements through official authorities before departure.

Data Limitations and What Travellers Should Watch Next

The study’s final sample included 78 destinations from the original most-visited group and 38 from the original population group. Researchers replaced the other 84 destinations because sufficient information was unavailable. Replacements therefore accounted for 42 per cent of the final 200-city sample. Original most-visited destinations represented 39 per cent, while original populous cities accounted for 19 per cent. This structure creates a measurable bias towards cities with accessible and consistent datasets.

Other limitations also affect the results. Safety information partly reflects public perceptions rather than one standardised official crime system. Online searches can indicate curiosity or media attention instead of completed travel. Tourism-service counts measure recorded availability but not service quality. English proficiency benefits many travellers but cannot represent every language requirement. National social-support and entry data may also assign similar background conditions to several cities within the same country.

The ranking introduced no visa waiver, border programme or passport change. It also established no implementation timetable. Travellers should instead watch forthcoming official tourism releases. Updated London data will clarify recent international and domestic demand. New figures for The Hague and Copenhagen will show whether their accommodation growth continued during 2026. Prague’s later quarterly results will reveal whether its strong opening continued, while Brno-specific data would improve comparison with the wider regional figures.

For now, London remains the highest-ranked destination within this five-city group. The Hague and Copenhagen occupy top-ten positions, while Prague and Brno complete the selected comparison. Recent official figures show growth across several markets, although the pace and source of demand differ. Only future statistics can establish whether recognition from the welcoming-city assessment produces sustained increases in visitors, overnight stays or tourism revenue.