A new ranking from forecasting firm Oxford Economics has named 28 "emerging stars" in its 2026 Global Cities index — cities most travellers haven't prioritised, but which are quietly outperforming their national economies and building serious tourism, tech and cultural pulling power. The common thread: significant investment, growing populations and momentum that looks set to make these places far busier in the coming decade.
Europe puts forward five names. Manchester is singled out for leading UK cities on both GDP and productivity growth, with a cultural scene fuelled by football, music and the new Co-op Live arena, which will host the 2026 and 2027 BRIT Awards. Warsaw jumped over 100 places to 61st, powered by its student population and a middle class expected to see real disposable incomes rise around 35% by 2050. Tallinn is flagged for tech-driven growth among the strongest of any major EU city, while Eindhoven's 5,000-strong high-tech cluster ("Brainport") offers expat tax incentives and green, connected living — if you can find housing. Toulouse rounds out the list with its aerospace industry, cheaper living than Paris and a warmer climate.
North America contributes Boise (tech plus mountain sports and a dense arts scene), Durham near the Research Triangle, beach-and-wildlife-rich Jacksonville, tourism-heavy San Antonio with the Alamo and River Walk, and Canada's Edmonton.
Latin America's five include Brasília, Lima — boosted by the $3.5 billion Chancay Megaport linking Peru with Asia — and Medellín, whose Metrocable cable-car network has connected hillside neighbourhoods to jobs. Monterrey rides the nearshoring wave, while Santiago anchors the southern cone with strong institutions and finance.
Asia's challengers are Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Shenzhen, Bengaluru and Tashkent, which is gaining from its role on the "Middle Corridor" trade route between Europe and Asia that bypasses Russia. Africa's picks are Nairobi (dubbed the "Silicon Savannah"), Accra, Dakar, Luanda and Cairo. Cairo deserves a travel-specific note: international visits are forecast to hit 1.2 million in 2026, above pre-pandemic levels, helped by the new Grand Egyptian Museum, and tourism-supporting sectors will account for over 40% of the five million extra jobs Egypt expects over 25 years. Together, the five African cities could drive a third of GDP growth among the continent's indexed cities by 2050.
The Middle East closes the list with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, which have added more than 8.5 million net-new residents in 25 years and are becoming heavyweights for international events, sport and brands — despite expected short-term regional declines in 2026.
Why care? These rankings are a decent early-warning system for travellers: cities flagged as investment magnets tend to see new flight routes, hotels, restaurants and price rises a few years later. Visiting Eindhoven, Tashkent or Accra now means catching them before the crowds — and before the rates catch up.
