In the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore ranked first in terms of visitor expenditure. Southeast Asia is among the fastest-growing tourism regions globally-attracting well-heeled travelers spending tidy sums. Singapore Registers Highest Visitor Spend in APAC In total, Dubai received a staggering $29.7 billion in overnight-visitor spending last year. In terms of average nights spent in a particular destination, New York was the highest at 8.3 nights, while in terms of highest daily spending, Dubai ranked first-recording an average daily spend of $537.

Interestingly, the majority of cities even in the top 20 most-visited cities are located predominantly in the Asia-Pacific region-a definite positive signal for all travel-related stakeholders. The top 10 cities globally witnessed an increase in visitors in 2017, with the only exception being Seoul, which registered a slight decline. London and Paris occupy second and third positions, with total international visitors of 19.83 million and 17.44 million, respectively. Source: Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index Dubai Registers the Highest Visitor Spend Globally Thailand, however, boasts three preferred destinations, namely, Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.Įxhibit 1: The Five Asian Cities in the Global Top 10 Destination Cities Although India is the world’s fastest growing major economy, there is no Indian city that features in the top 20.

On average, visitors were likely to stay 4.7 nights with an average spending of $173 per day, contributing to an aggregate of $16.36 billion spent last year. It hosted approximately 20 million international overnight visitors last year, and as per forecasts, it will witness a further 9.6 percent growth this year alone-on track to register the highest visitor increase. In 2017, Bangkok was the leading destination from 162 cities surveyed globally. Common trends among preferred destination cities include “robust infrastructure, both business and leisure attractions and strong local culture.” Bangkok Is the Leading Destination Globally At a time of increasing nationalism and trade protectionism, international travel is helping break barriers and drive economic growth, according to the recent Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index 2018.

Global destination cities index 2017