Bangkok main city for travelers

Bangkok main city for travelers

Bangkok is the top city destination for international travelers worldwide this year, according to financial services company Master Card.

The Thai capital has thus even dethroned London. The English capital was number 1 last year. Paris is in third place, followed by Singapore, New York, Istanbul and Dubai.

The ranking shows a growing dominance of the Asian region, which the researchers say clearly indicates that the world is moving towards a new equilibrium.

Bangok more visitors than London

Bangkok is expected to receive 15,98 million visitors this year, compared to 15,96 million for London. The greatest growth is achieved by Istanbul, where an increase of 9,5 percent to 10,37 million visitors is reported. Seven of the fastest growing cities are in the Asian region. A total of nine Asian cities are in the top twenty most visited cities in the world. This includes Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo and Taipei.

Better connections

The increasing success of Asian cities is largely attributed to the increasing connections for air traffic. It is noted that Western cities still lead the ranking in terms of spending. New York ranks first, with traveler spending reaching $18,6 billion, followed by London ($16,3 billion), Paris ($14,6 billion), Bangkok ($14,6 billion) and Singapore ($13,5 billion).