Barcelona ranks eighth in World's Best Cities report, down two spots
"Defiant Catalan capital is as coveted as ever," ranking says about post-pandemic city
Barcelona is the eighth best city in the world for 2024, according to the latest report from Canadian consultancy firm Resonance. For the past two years, the same report placed the Catalan capital at number six, while three years ago, it had also ranked it eighth.
"The defiant Catalan capital is as coveted as ever," the text states, adding that it has taken "a breath and is welcoming the world on its own terms" after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city, which also ranked number 10 in livability and 7 in lovability, has "near-perfect weather year-round, more than three miles of golden sandy beaches within city limits, iconic parks, striking architecture and diverse, era-spanning neighborhoods that are destinations at all hours." The attraction to Barcelona is in part fueled by the city's nightlife, which was voted third best of all the listed destinations.
The report highlights the city’s more than 12 million annual tourists, as well as the "strictest vacation rental rules, aimed at controlling the effects of runaway tourism."
The pandemic, as the report states, "took care of the tourist problem," and as travelers return, people may find a "more citizen-focused place, increasingly self-propelled and non-vehicular, with more than 150 miles of new bike lanes."
One of the main indicators of this change is the increase of the city’s discontentment with digital nomads, as well as its securing of "massive foreign investment," such as Lufthansa Group's first southern European digital hub and the U.S. real estate developer Panattoni’s $300 million investment to build the largest data center in the region.
The rest of the top 10 list is made up of, in order of first to last: London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Seoul. The second Spanish city is Madrid, further down the list at number 13.