Smaller destinations led Asian arrivals growth in 2017, reports Mastercard

ASIA PACIFIC. International passenger arrivals to “second-tier” Asian cities rose faster than visitors to the region’s major cities last year, according to new research.

Oita and Kumamoto in Japan and Daegu in South Korea all experienced rises of more than +50% in overnight arrivals between 2016 and 2017, the Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index found. Ha Long in Vietnam and Incheon in South Korea saw overnight arrivals jump +29% and +27% respectively.

A garden in Kumamoto. The Japanese city has witnessed a +55% increase in passenger visits. Source: Shutterstock

These smaller cities saw higher growth in international arrivals than the region’s mainstream destinations, including Bangkok, Shanghai and Tokyo. However, major cities retained higher overall numbers.

Overnight visits to China’s secondary cities continued to grow faster than to its primary cities, with compounded annual growth of +9.0% and +3.9% respectively. The researchers also found that tourist visits to second-tier cities such as Shenzhen, Chengdu and Wuhan grew faster than those to Shanghai and Beijing.

Total visits to Asia Pacific grew by +5.6% over 2016 and generated 333 million international overnight arrivals. Bangkok remained the most popular city for international travellers to the region, with more than 20 million overnight arrivals.

Between 2009 and 2017 the average length of stay fell -11% from 5.94 to 5.35 days, while the average spend during the same period rose from US$135 to US$148. Travellers are therefore spending more money in less time.

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