Top ten Asia Pacific destinations : Mastercard 2017
TravelBizNews Online —
Bangkok: While Bangkok remains the most visited destination in Asia Pacific, Singapore continues to lead the Thai capital in total visitor expenditure, according to the latest findings from the Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2017 shared recently at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit in Bangkok.
Over the past two years (2015-2016), Singapore has tracked a strong 18.0 percent leap in visitor spend. One of only five destinations of the top 20 by total expenditure to reach a minimum spend of US$200 per day, Singapore attracted the highest spending visitors at US$254 per day, followed by Beijing (US$242), Shanghai (US$234), Hong Kong (US$211) and Taipei (US$208).
According to the Index’s findings, 2016 was an exciting year for tourism in Asia Pacific. Fueled by increasing consumer wealth amongst Asia Pacific’s emerging markets, the region’s thriving tourism industry continues to show vigorous progress. It is the world’s fastest growing region for international tourism by GDP contribution, with tourism making up 8.5 percent of Asia Pacific’s GDP and 8.7 percent of total employment last year.
The top ten Asia Pacific destinations ranked by international overnight arrivals:
1. Bangkok – 19.3 million
2. Singapore – 13.1 million
3. Tokyo – 12.6 million
4. Seoul – 12.4 million
5. Kuala Lumpur – 11.3 million
6. Phuket – 9.1 million
7. Hong Kong – 8.9 million
8. Pattaya – 8.1 million
9. Osaka – 7.4 million
10. Taipei – 7.4 million
The top ten Asia Pacific destinations ranked by total nights stayed:
1. Bangkok – 87.6 million
2. Sydney – 87.5 million
3. Kuala Lumpur – 76.7 million
4. Tokyo – 74.3 million
5. Melbourne – 62.9 million 6. Bali – 62.4 million
7. Singapore – 60.7 million
8. Seoul – 56.0 million
9. Brisbane – 51.8 million
10. Taipei – 47.8 million
The top ten Asia Pacific destinations ranked by expenditure:
1. Singapore – US$15.4 billion
2. Bangkok – US$12.7 billion
3. Tokyo – US$11.1 billion
4. Taipei – US$9.9 billion
5. Seoul – US$9.4 billion
6. Bali – US$8.7 billion
7. Phuket – US$8.3 billion
8. Kuala Lumpur – US$7.3 billion
9. Sydney – US$6.8 billion
10. Hong Kong– US$6.6 billion
Source: Mastercard 2017
