Bangkok – The Thai capital remains Number One on Mastercard’s Global Destinations Cities Index.
The credit card giant has announced its list for 2017 which sees Bangkok retain its No. 1 tourist destination status for the second consecutive year in a seven-year run of the survey.
Bangkok was listed as one of the top five cities where visitors spent the night and spent the most money per visit at 14.08 billion US dollars.
According to the survey, 88.6 percent of visitors to the city came as vacation travelers, constituting a significantly larger group than those on business trips, which marked 11.4 percent. Visitors spent the most money on shopping at 22.9 percent, accommodations at 22.6 percent, and other services at 21.5 percent.
The GDCI 2017 index shows most visitors to Bangkok came from China at 34.3 percent, Japan at 7.1 percent, South Korea at 4.3 percent, India at 4.1 percent, and the UK at 3.8 percent.
Eric Schneider, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Mastercard Advisors, said, “As the fastest growing region for international tourism, Asia Pacific’s travel sector will no doubt continue to serve as a key source of in-market economic growth and development. The rise of leisure and business travel across the region presents a vital imperative for governments and private stakeholders to invest in smart networks and infrastructures that provide seamless experiences for residents, tourists and business travelers. Cities that do so will realize their potential as true global destinations, and reap the economic benefits of the increased number of visitors and greater spendings.”
