The article suggests the analysis of activities to promote global cities in the international tourist markets. The leading position of global cities, not only in economics but also in attracting tourists, demands an urgent review of the main trends and methods of their promotion for possible application in the largest Russian cities. Using examples of dozens leading global cities the author highlights a number of key marketing programs of promotion of global cities on tourist markets - such as special programs for visitors and maintaining interaction with tourists, the use of social networking, branding. The article concludes that the transition of a number of global cities to models of integrated promotion occurs as part of integrated strategies and campaigns in conjunction with the accented promoting on specific key target markets; the author considers the most striking examples of this integrated promotion. Also discussed in more detail are issues of partnership between government and business, professional, scientific and public organizations in the promotion of global cities, as a constant and essential element of the mechanism and the implementation of measures of tourist promotion. The article also pays considerable attention to the organization of major events and the sequence of events to attract tourists to the formation of tourist image of global cities. Final conclusions are valuable for use in the practice of promotion of the city in the tourist market, and for understanding contemporary forms of marketing communications.