Asia Pacific’s five most popular cities o pay with Mastercard

“While the world’s economic, geopolitical, technological and societal landscapes have all changed dramatically since Mastercard launched this research 10 years ago, one thing has remained constant: the desire of ever-growing numbers of people to explore the world beyond their own borders,” said Mastercard’s senior VP data & services Asia Pacific Rupert Naylor. “With the top 20 cities attracting nearly half (49.8 per cent) of all international overnight arrivals to the 161 destinations ranked in the APDI, it is important to understand not only how continuously rising travel numbers impact cities and destinations for the better, but also the challenges they pose. This equips governments, merchants and the global travel industry with the information and insights they need to better serve their residents and visitors.

The research shows that Mainland China continues to exert the greatest influence over travel patterns and expenditure flows. Since 2009, overnight arrivals by Mainland Chinese travellers in markets across Asia Pacific surged from 10.5 million to 62.4 million last year, representing a 21.9 per cent compound annual growth rate over the period.

“While Mainland China serves as a focal point for Asia Pacific’s top destinations, there are also bright spots in South Korea, Japan and India,” said Naylor. “As travellers from these markets continue to increase by remarkable percentages year over year, it is imperative that we bring together resources from both the public and private sectors to help tourism partners better understand commerce patterns and deliver attractive experiences for eager travellers from across the region.”