According to Mastercard’s 2018 Global Destination Cities Index, everyone’s all about Bangkok. “In a world of rising nationalism, international travel takes on greater importance—breaking down barriers, broadening our horizons and driving economic impact felt throughout the world’s cities,” Mastercard shared in a statement about its index.
Travelandleisure.com indicated after looking at 162 cities around the globe in 2018, the top destination travelers are flocking to is Bangkok, followed closely by London and Paris. “With roughly 20 million international overnight visitors, Bangkok remains in the top spot this year and is unlikely to be bested due to a strong projected growth of 9.6 percent for 2018,” the analysis noted. “Interestingly, visitors tend to stay in Bangkok 4.7 nights and spend $173 per day, on average.”
The other top 10 cities include Dubai, Singapore, New York, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Seoul.
Though Bangkok has the most visitors, other places enjoy a higher spend per visit. According to Mastercard, Dubai continues to be the top ranking destination city based on overnight visitor spend. There, visitors spend $537 per day on average.
“International travel is crucial to many urban economies, enriching the lives of both residents and tourists. The bar is rising for cities to innovate to provide both a memorable and authentic experience,” Miguel Gamiño Jr., executive vice president, global cities for Mastercard, shared in a statement. “We’re partnering closely with cities around the world to ensure they have insights and technologies to improve how they attract and cater to tourists while preserving what makes them so special in the first place.” (Travelandleisure.com)