Bangkok loses its status as the top destination for international travellers

LONDON – London tops the list as the destination of choice for international travelers for the third time in four years, according to the annual MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index released on July 9, 2014. Now in its fourth year, the index provides a ranking of the 132 most travelled cities from around the world.
 

Rounding out the top five cities are Bangkok, Paris, Singapore and Dubai, which are benefiting from a surge in international travel fueled by an expanding middle class, innovations in luxury travel and rising need for business travel.  The index also indicates this surge will continue, even with more technology and collaboration tools available to businesses.
 

According to the study, London is projected to receive 18.7 million international visitors in 2014. Forecasted visitors to the rest of the top five cities include: Bangkok with 16.42 million visitors, followed by Paris with 15.57 million visitors, Singapore with 12.47 million visitors and finally Dubai with 11.95 million visitors.
 

“The index points to a continued strong demand and interest in air travel, both for business and personal travel,” said Ann Cairns, president of International Markets, MasterCard. “The recognition of this year’s top international destinations reinforces the continued importance of cities as business, cultural and economic hubs.  And, that’s where we come in.  Every day, we help consumers and businesses maximize all of the travel opportunities available to them, including a safe and secure way to pay no matter where they are across the globe.”
 

Asia/Pacific is home to half of the top ten destination cities with Seoul entering into the top ten for the first time this year. London has overtaken Bangkok as the top destination for international travellers on the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, as political unrest in the Southeast Asian city kept visitors away during the first six months of the current year. 
 

Bangkok may draw 16.4 million international overnight visitors this year, an 11% decline from 2013, the index showed. London retook the top spot with an 8% increase in travellers to 18.7 million. 
 

Four other Asian cities — Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Seoul — also ranked among the top 10 destinations. “The prominence of the Southeast Asian cities on the index demonstrates the importance that trade and tourism plays in these economies,” Matthew Driver, Southeast Asia president of MasterCard Inc, said in a statement. These cities “have clearly benefited from a deliberate and ongoing investment in travel capacity and infrastructure,” he added.
 

Bangkok also lost its position as the top Asian city in terms of international visitor spending on the index with an estimated $13.04 billion in spending this year, behind Singapore at $14.34 billion.