Already wondering where you should escape to during the summer months? According to Mastercard’s Asia Pacific Destinations Index, look no further than your own backyard.
The financial service found that 10 of Asia Pacific’s most visited destinations experienced over 10 per cent growth in international arrivals. Indonesia’s very own Bali received a 22.5 per cent increase, behind only the Northeast Asian cities of Seoul and Osaka, where international arrivals increased by 32.7 per cent and 23.8 per cent, respectively.
According to Mastercard, these numbers “provide significant opportunities, which governments, tourism bodies and merchants can benefit from, including greater economic, cultural and infrastructural development”.
They also advise that “public and private sectors [work] to create more welcoming spaces for visitors and residents alike – as well as more seamless ways to get around destinations.”
Bali also comes in sixth in visitor expenditure, at US$8.7 billion, in between Seoul and Phuket.
When it comes to total nights spent, Bali even beats out Singapore, and sits again at number six, with 62.4 million nights in total. In 2016, travellers spent a total of 1,768.7 million nights in the Asia Pacific region.
