[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]hat Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top cities to live and work in, and also travel to, is not news anymore, but the latest findings of the Mastercard Destination Cities Index has more interesting morsels. According to that report, which ranks 132 top destination cities based on visitor volume and spending for 2016, Singapore is the fifth destination city in the world in terms of international overnight visitors. And if Singapore is crowded and expensive – which cities are even worse? And which destinations should we visit before the crowds descend upon them? Chew on these tidbits.
TOP 3 CITIES WHERE TRAVELLERS SPEND MOST OF THEIR MONEY ON SHOPPING
WHY DO PEOPLE VISIT SINGAPORE
SO OVER NEW YORK?
The Big Apple was the only city in the Top 20 for overnight visitors with negative visitor growth forecast for 2017.
FASTEST-GROWING CITY IN EACH REGION (2009-2016)
LATIN AMERICA Lima EUROPE Bucharest ASIA-PACIFIC Osaka NORTH AMERICA Miami MIDDLE-EAST/AFRICA Abu Dhabi
(RELATED: Slow travel is trending – here are 3 leisurely holidays to embark on.)
Click to expand
13.45 MILLION
The number of visitors forecast to visit Singapore in 2017
US$15.69 BILLION (S$21.36 BILLION)
Visitor expenditure in Singapore in 2016
“Singapore’s diverse world-class offerings for travellers – from tourist attractions to medical services and an efficient and well-connected transport system – have all played a part in elevating the city-state to its place as one of the top five global destinations. With tourism a key contributor to Singapore’s economy, it’s also notable that this year-on-year growth in visitor arrivals is accompanied by the highest overall tourist expenditure in Asia.”
– DEBORAH HENG, COUNTRY MANAGER, MASTERCARD SINGAPORE
GLOBAL TOP 10* DESTINATION CITIES IN 2016
BANGKOK, LONDON, PARIS, DUBAI, SINGAPORE, NEW YORK, SEOUL, KUALA LUMPUR, TOKYO, ISTANBUL
(*in terms of number of overnight international visitors)