Sydney beats Melbourne for spot on top 20 destinations by visitor spend

SYDNEY - Bangkok, London and Paris are the top three destination cities by international overnight visitor arrivals, according to the sixth annual MastercardGlobal Destinations Cities Index released today.

 The Index provides a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world, projecting visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 calendar year.
 Australian cities have missed a spot on the list of Global Destinations by visitor numbers for the last seven years of the report, but tourists continue to spend up while visiting Sydney, which landed a place in the top 20 destinations by visitor spend again this year. Tourists are expected to spend more than AU$8.48 billion (US$6.4 billion) in Sydney over 2016.
 For a fifth consecutive year, Sydney beat Melbourne for a spot globally by spend, but the sports mecca is still a regional hot spot, placing 10th in the top 10 Asia Pacific cities by visitor spend. Melbourne visitors are expected to spend AU$6.55 billion ($US4.94 billion), up 0.8% from 2015.
 Andrew Cartwright, Mastercard Australia Country Manager, said, “Australia’s geographical location makes it difficult for our cities to compete based on visitor numbers, but it is impressive that, when it comes to spending, Sydney and Melbourne are notable contenders globally and regionally.
“When visiting our most popular cities, tourists are clearly utilising the opportunity to spend big on shopping trips and local experiences.” 
 According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London at 19.88 million.
Forecast international overnight visitors to the top 10 cities include Paris – 18.03 million; Dubai – 15.27 million; New York – 12.75 million; Singapore – 12.11 million; Kuala Lumpur – 12.02 million; Istanbul – 11.95 million; Tokyo – 11.70 million; and Seoul – 10.20 million.
Asian cities make up half of the global top 10 cities – Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul – and seven of the top 10 fastest growing destination cities – Osaka, Chengdu, Colombo, Tokyo, Taipei, Xi’an and Xiamen.  Visit http://news.mstr.cd/2di8S31 (ATI).