Asia Pacific cities are rising the up the global tourism rankings in 2012, according to a new study by MasterCard.
According to the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, which was released today (18 June 2012), eight of the world’s top 20 cities by visitor arrivals and expenditure in 2012 will be located in Asia Pacific.
This research projects sustained growth among emerging market cities with the top 10 Asia Pacific destinations expecting a 9.5% growth in visitor arrivals for 2012 and a 15.3% surge in cross-border spending.
In terms of arrivals, Bangkok is forecast to rank third globally this year with more than 12.2 million visitors this year. Singapore ranks fourth with 11.8 million expected visitors, Hong Kong sixth with 11.1 million, and Kuala Lumpur 10th with 8.1 million.
The region also ranked highly in terms of visitor spending, with Bangkok third globally with US$19.3 billion expected to be spent by inbound travellers in 2012, a 16.6% jump from last year. Singapore climbed two places to fifth with US$12.7 billion, up 12.7% on last year. Seoul moved into the top 10 with US$10.6 billion in cross-border spend, an increase of 16.2%, while Tokyo, still recovering from the disasters of 2011, moved up four places to 14th.
In terms of growth in visitor numbers, six out of the top 20 fastest growing cities in the Index are in Asia Pacific, with the recovering Tokyo (+21.5%) second globally behind Rio de Janeiro (28.6%). Taipei and Beijing also featured in both the top 10 growth cities by visitor arrivals and cross-border spending.
“Asia’s destination cities continue their rise, expecting a significant upward trend in visitor arrivals and cross-border spend – most of them on the back of large double digit growth,” observed Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard Worldwide.
London once again topped the world rankings in terms of visitor numbers, with 16.9 million inbound passengers expected in 2012, ahead of Paris in second place with 16 million. The UK capital also ranked top on cross-border expenditure, ahead of New York in second place, with estimated expenditures in these cities for 2012 amounting to US$21.1 billion and US$19.4 billion respectively.
While cities in Europe and the US still ranked highly however, Dr Hedrick-Wong said that the number of emerging market cities featuring in the Index showed Asia’s growing role in the global economy.
“The leading Asian cities are some of the most sought after destinations for visitors from all over the world, and the Index indicates that they will continue to thrive into 2012,” he said.
