Bangkok was the world’s top destination last year, three years in a row, with 20.05 million people visiting the capital in 2017 and a 9.6% growth in number of visitors is predicted for this year, according to Mastercard’s Global Destinations Cities Index.
Visitors to Bangkok tend to stay 4.7 nights during their trips and spend, on average, US$173 a day, according to Mastercard.
By Mastercard’s assessment, Bangkok is more affordable than Paris, Singapore or Seoul. But it is more expensive than London, according to Mastercard.
Mastercard examined 162 cities worldwide to come up with its Global Destinations Cities Index. The ranking is based on the number of visitors and amount of money they spent in 2017. For the first time, Mastercard also looked at the average length of stay and amount of money spent during the visit.
The analysis also provides a forecast for the following year.
London comes second in the same index, followed by Paris, Dubai and Singapore.
In terms of visitors’ spending, Bangkok ranks fifth with US$16.3 billion (approximately 528 billion baht) spent in the city last year, while a 13.8% growth in visitors’ spending is projected for 2018, said Mastercard.
Aside from Bangkok, Phuket ranks tenth in the same index in terms of visitors’ spending. About US$10.4 billion (around 337 billion baht), or US$239 per day, were spent last year, while a 12.6% growth in visitors’ spending is forecast for this year.
This is the first time for the resort island to be in the top 10 of destinations with highest spending.
