AKIPRESS.COM - Hong Kong has been beset by political unrest and protests in 2019, but that hasn't stopped it from being named the most visited destination in the world this year.

According to UK-based market research company Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations 2019 report, the Asian metropolis will clock up 26 million international tourist visits before the year is out, CNN reports.

It's a glimmer of good news for the city, whose tourism industry has been suffering after anti-government protests began escalating in June. Violent clashes with police, which have at times led to the closure of Hong Kong's airport, are believed to have discouraged many visitors, but those still arriving have typically been able to enjoy incident-free trips.

Euromonitor says the situation has led to an 8.7% decline on the almost 30 million who visited in 2018.

Top 20 cities based on 2018 arrivals and 2019 estimates

1. Hong Kong: 29,262,700 arrivals (2018) / 26,716,800 arrivals (2019)

2. Bangkok, Thailand: 24,177,500 arrivals (2018) / 25,847,800 arrivals (2019)

3. London, England: 19,233,000 arrivals (2018) / 19,559,900 arrivals (2019)

4. Macau: 18,931,400 (2018) / 20,637,100 arrivals (2019)

5. Singapore: 18,551,200 arrivals (2018) / 19,760,800 arrivals (2019)

6. Paris, France: 17,560,200 arrivals (2018) / 19,087,900 arrivals (2019)

7. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 15,920,700 arrivals (2018) / 16,328,300 arrivals (2019)

8. New York City, USA: 13,600,000 arrivals (2018) / 14,010,000 arrivals (2019)

9. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 13,434,300 arrivals (2018) / 14,072,400 arrivals (2019)

10. Istanbul, Turkey: 13,433,000 arrivals (2018) / 14,715,900 arrivals (2019)

11. Delhi, India: 12,645,300 arrivals (2018) / 15,196,500 arrivals (2019)

12. Antalya, Turkey: 12,438,800 arrivals (2018) / 13,332,100 arrivals (2019)

13. Shenzhen, China: 12,202,100 arrivals (2018) / 12,324,100 arrivals (2019)

14. Mumbai, India: 10,590,100 arrivals (2018) / 12,442,400 arrivals (2019)

15. Phuket, Thailand: 10,550,700 arrivals (2018) / 10,965,200 arrivals (2019)

16. Rome, Italy: 10,065,400 arrivals (2018) / 10,317,000 arrivals (2019)

17. Tokyo, Japan: 9,985,100 arrivals (2018) / 10,443,100 arrivals (2019)

18. Pattaya, Thailand: 9,606,400 arrivals (2018) / 9,951,900 arrivals (2019)

19. Taipei, Taiwan: 9,597,800 arrivals (2018) / 9,981,700 arrivals (2019)

20. Mecca, Saudi Arabia: 9,565,200 arrivals (2018) / 9,833,000 arrivals (2019)