A national survey released earlier this year found that 60% of TikTok users in the U.S. said they've become interested in visiting a new destination after seeing a TikTok video about it.
It's safe to assume, then, that the places on the video-sharing app's list of the most popular destinations in 2023 generated a whole lot of wanderlust.
Based on TikTok's data for the year, the country hashtag that got the most views worldwide in 2023 was #Mexico, with a whopping 180 billion views. That's more than the total for the next three countries on the list combined.
And no wonder, given Mexico's abundance of photogenic lures—sunny beaches, colorful small towns, exciting cities, Mayan ruins, and so on.
Here at Frommer's, we've got our eye on Guanajuato for 2024. We named that central Mexico city one of the Best Places to Go next year for its "treasure trove of baroque and neoclassical architecture" and intriguing cultural traditions that make the town a worthy alternative (or addition) to staying in the increasingly popular San Miguel de Allende, located about a 90-minute drive to the east.
@puebleando ¡Guanajuato, la ciudad mas colorida del mundo y una de las mejores conservadas de México, parte UNO! #guanajuato_mx #guanajuatocheck #guanajuateando #guanajuatocapital #leonguanajuato #mexicomagico #mexicodesconocido #mexicocolonial #mexicolors #bajio #puebleando #turismo #instravel #arquitecturamx ? I Ain't Worried - OneRepublic
Mind you, each of the countries in TikTok's top 5 is a looker in its own right, and liable to have you researching airfares after a few minutes of scrolling. Here's the full list of most-viewed countries:
1. Mexico (180 billion views)
2. France (72.6 billion)
3. Japan (53.7 billion)
4. Canada (47.9 billion)
5. Italy (43.7 billion)
As for TikTok's most popular cities, hashtags for U.S. destinations took three of the top five spots. New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles came in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
Just as France took the silver medal on the countries list, the French capital came in second on the cities ranking, with the Paris hashtag garnering 47.8 billion views this year—though, as the U.K.'s Metro newspaper points out, "we can’t help but think some of those views come from the dreaded bed bug epidemic" that Paris has been freaking out over since summer.
TikTok's most popular city, with 76.8 billion views in 2023, was Dubai. The United Arab Emirates metropolis is bound to impress in a visual medium. The combo of desert scenery and futuristic glitz is awfully hard to resist.
@world_travel11 Dubai ???? #night #burjkhalifa #emirates #emirates???????? ..
Earlier this year, the luggage storage company Bounce released its own analysis of TikTok travel data for 2023 and came up with similar results with regard to the most-viewed destinations; Dubai was the top city overall and Mexico the #2 country after the U.S.
Bounce also named the top TikTok travel influencers, putting thrill seeker Alex Ojeda in first place with 8.3 million followers. Runner-up Julia Thompson (3.5 million followers) gets high marks for showcasing the globe's "most beautiful landscapes."
