City Mayor Valdas Benkunskas says many years of joint work have led to this major achievement.
“Without a doubt, entering the ranks of the strongest cities worldwide was the result of the successful hosting of the NATO summits, bold marketing decisions and the three-year-long programme of the 700th anniversary of Vilnius. The latter was noticed by the global media and organisers of different awards,” the mayor is quoted as saying in the press release.
Vitalij Vladykin, head of Euromonitor International, agrees with Benkunskas that Vilnius’ inclusion in this year’s TOP 100 list is due to the successful organisation of the NATO summit and the high-profile marketing campaigns.
“Year 2023 was a successful year for Vilnius, not only because the Lithuanian capital celebrated its 700th anniversary and hosted the NATO summit smoothly, but also because of its successful job on tourism development. Despite all the geopolitical and economic challenges, Vilnius has managed to make a significant input in the active post-pandemic recovery of the tourism sector and has boosted the flow of foreign tourists,” the expert said.
A total of 63 European cities made the top 100. The newcomers, along with Vilnius, which was ranked 92nd, include Washington DC, Chile’s capital Santiago and Canada’s Montreal.
Euromonitor International’s report Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023 compares 55 metrics across six key pillars for 100 city destinations, to create an overall city attractiveness score. The six key pillars include: (1) economic and business performance, (2) tourism performance, (3) tourism infrastructure, (4) tourism policy and attractiveness, (5) health and safety, and (6) sustainability.