Bangkok is this year’s number one city for travel, according to MasterCard’s third annual Global Destination Cities Index.
The study looked at the highest international visitor numbers in 2013, with London, Paris, Singapore, and New York rounding out the top five. London took first place in 2012, however, this year it was edged out of the top spot by just one percent or 25,000 visitors.
A noticeable trend in this year’s report was the dominance of the Asia/Pacific region. Of the 132 cities ranked, 42 are Asian countries. Bangkok is followed by Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo; four of the top ten in 2013 are in the Greater China region.
“With the rise of the Asia/Pacific region, this year’s index reflects the rebalance that the globe is undergoing in large part because of the rise of emerging markets,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, MasterCard Worldwide.
“This shift is further underscored by electronic payments, which are enabling more people from more places to participate in the global economy than ever before.”
“Bangkok brought with it great momentum from last year. Its ascent to number one is not only a first for Asia, it’s emblematic of the rise of the Global South which encompasses much of Africa and Asia as well as South America,” concluded Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard and author of the report.
London maintains its number one position in Europe in international visitor arrivals, followed by Paris, Istanbul, Barcelona, and Milan. Istanbul’s growth rates were such that it could well surpass Paris in 2016. The fastest growing city in Western Europe in air travel connectivity is Berlin, which ranks 17.
The line-up of the top ten destination cities in Latin America remains unchanged with Mexico City leading the group. However, Lima, Peru is the fastest-growing city, followed by Sao Paulo, Brazil. If this growth trend continues, Sao Paulo could surpass Mexico City and Buenos Aires in 2017, and Lima could overtake Buenos Aires in 2018.
In the Middle East and Africa Dubai retains its number one rank in the region by a large margin.
New York retains its top ranked destination city in North America, followed by Los Angeles and Miami. Toronto takes fourth position and is trending upwards as the fastest-growing in air travel connectivity in North America.
MasterCard’s Global Top 20 Top Destination Cities by International Overnight Visitors
(“Arrivals” in each of the destination cities is defined as international arrivals that actually stayed in the destination city for at least one night.)
- Bangkok: 15.98m
- London: 15.96m
- Paris: 13.93m
- Singapore: 11.75m
- New York: 11.52m
- Istanbul: 10.37m
- Dubai: 9.89m
- Kuala Lumpur: 9.20m
- Hong Kong: 8.72m
- Barcelona: 8.41m
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