Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index 2016: Bangkok tops the list

[AndrewJin]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/lists/most-visited-cities-2016-overseas-arrivals/

Bangkok looks certain to pip London to the title of world’s most popular city for travellers, with an estimated 21.47m international overnight visitors expected by the end of the year.

Mastercard’s seventh annual Global Destinations Cities Index suggests the Thai capital will finish 2016 at the top for the second consecutive year, despite two deadly bombings in 2015.
London is predicted to take second place, with 19.88m overseas arrivals, while Paris appears to have overcome fears of a tourist exodus in the aftermath of November’s terrorist attacks, holding third place with 18.03m. Dubai and New York complete the top five.

Bangkok was the most visited city in 2012 and 2013, but London topped the annual rankings in 2014 and 2015. Paris held second place each year from 2012 to 2015, but has since fallen well behind the Thai and UK capitals.

The top 20 for 2016

1. Bangkok – 21.47m
2. London – 19.88m
3. Paris – 18.03m
4. Dubai – 15.27m
5. New York – 12.75m
6. Singapore – 12.11m
7. Kuala Lumpur – 12.02m
8. Istanbul – 11.95m
9. Tokyo – 11.70m
10. Seoul – 11.20m
11. Hong Kong – 8.37m
12. Barcelona – 8.2m
13. Amsterdam – 8m
14. Milan – 7.65m
15. Taipei – 7.35m
16. Rome – 7.12m
17. Osaka – 7.02m
18. Vienna – 6.69m
19. Shanghai – 6.12m
20. Prague – 5.81m

The fastest-growing city with at least one million visitors is Osaka in Japan, the gateway to Kyoto. It is expected to welcome 7.02m foreign visitors in 2016, an increase of 24.15 per cent.

Chengdu, China’s panda bear capital, Abu Dhabi, the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, and Tokyo, were among the other most rapidly-growing destinations.

The 20 fastest growing destinations

1. Osaka - 24.15% year-on-year increase
2. Chengdu - 20.14%
3. Abu Dhabi - 19.81%
4. Colombo - 19.57%
5. Tokyo - 18.48%
6. Riyadh - 16.45%
7. Taipei - 14.53%
8. Xi'an - 14.20%
9. Tehran - 12.98%
10. Xiamen - 12.93%
11. Jakarta - 12.89%
12. Bangkok - 12.57%
13. Hanoi - 11.64%
14. Mumbai - 10.42%
15. Lima - 9.86%
16. Bogota - 9.61%
17. Seoul - 9.49%
18. Ho Chi Minh City - 9.22%
19. Chennai - 9.15%
20. Dubai - 9.07%

Osaka, Japan

Regional rankings
Dubai is by far the most popular Middle Eastern or African destination, with 15.27m visitors expected in 2016. The next best is Riyadh, with 4.59m, followed by Johannesburg (3.6m), Abu Dhabi (3.14m) and Cairo (1.55m).

No Latin American or Caribbean cities made the global top 20. Lima is the most visited (4.03m), followed by Mexico City (2.98m), Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (2.73m), Sao Paulo (2.30m) and Buenos Aires (2.02m).

In North America, New York’s closest rival is Los Angeles, with 5.6m. Then comes Miami (5.24m), Toronto (4.52m) and San Francisco (3.93m).

What about day trippers?
The top 20 is transformed if one takes into account visitors who do not stay overnight, such as cruise ship passengers. Euromonitor’s annual rankings do just that. Here are its figures for 2014, the latest available:

1. Hong Kong – 27.78m
2. London – 17.38m
3. Singapore – 17.09m
4. Bangkok – 16.25m
5. Paris – 14.98m
6. Macau – 14.97m
7. Dubai – 13.2m
8. Shenzhen – 13.12m
9. New York – 12.23m
10. Istanbul – 11.87m
11. Kuala Lumpur – 11.63m
12. Antalya – 11.5m
13. Seoul – 9.39m
14. Rome – 8.78m
15. Taipei – 8.62m
16. Guangzhou – 8.2m
17. Phuket – 8.12m
18. Miami – 7.26m
19. Pattaya – 6.43m
20. Shanghai – 6.4m

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Congrats to all cities!
Some videos about cities in East Asia and ASEAN mentioned above

Bangkok, Thailand

Osaka, Japan

Chengdu, China

Hong Kong, China

Singapore

Xiamen, China

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[Mista]

And I just came back from a holiday in Bangkok. Was there a few hours ago.