Oxford Economics has named its 2026 'Cities to Watch', and the list reads like a good shortlist for anyone bored of the usual city-break suspects: Medellin, Toulouse, Ho Chi Minh City, Warsaw and Abu Dhabi. The ranking comes from the consultancy's Global Cities Index, which scores 1,000 cities on economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance — a measure of urban performance rather than tourist appeal, but a useful pointer to places gaining momentum.
Medellin is the standout story. Spread across Colombia's Aburra Valley and ringed by green mountains, it scores 70.6 out of 100 in the environment category, one of its strongest results. The city's Metrocable gondolas double as the best introduction, floating over hillside neighbourhoods. Laureles offers tree-lined streets and cafes; El Poblado has the nightlife and hotels; Comuna 13, with its famous outdoor escalators and street art, is best explored with local guides who can explain the murals and community projects behind them. Newer to the map is Perpetuo Socorro, a creative district of workshops, galleries and cafes in converted warehouses. The numbers back the hype: Jose Maria Cordova airport recorded over a million international arrivals in the first half of 2026 for the first time, with 194,488 visitors from the US leading the way.
Toulouse, France, scores 84.7 on environment. The 'Pink City' pairs its rose-brick old town, Place du Capitole and Garonne riverbanks with a genuinely distinctive aerospace edge — Cite de l'Espace, the Aeroscopia aviation museum and the giant mechanical contraptions of La Halle de la Machine. It is a compact, walkable city best navigated without a rigid plan.
Ho Chi Minh City posted 3.61 million international arrivals in the first nine months of 2026, up 13% year on year. Its first metro line opened in 2024, but the draw remains the street level: banh mi and pho from family-run stalls, the colonial landmarks of District 1, the War Remnants Museum, and the markets and temples of the historic Cholon district.
Warsaw scored 84.6 for quality of life, the highest of the five on the categories cited. The rebuilt Old Town, the POLIN and Warsaw Rising museums, pierogi in old-school milk bars, and regenerated districts like Praga and Wola reward travellers who look past the postcard centre.
Abu Dhabi rounds out the list, betting on culture to diversify its economy: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on one side, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Island's growing museum cluster on the other, with beaches and mangroves in between and a slower pace than Dubai or Doha.
The common thread across all five is that the index scores don't explain the appeal — people do. In each city, the most memorable experiences come from guides, hosts, cooks and artists, not statistics. For travellers planning 2026 trips, this is a well-founded nudge toward destinations where a bit of local context goes a long way.
