Asia-Pacific visitor arrivals to spike up to 2021: PATA

Visitor arrivals into Asia-Pacific destinations are estimated to grow at an average rate of five per cent per annum from 2017 to 2021, reaching a combined footfall of close to 758 million, according to PATA's latest Asia-Pacific Visitor Forecasts.

By 2021, Asia is expected to generate over half a billion of foreign arrivals into Asia-Pacific, accounting for over two-thirds of the total, due to its consistently high average annual growth rate between 2016 and 2021.

The Americas and Europe will also contribute significant arrivals, the former numbering a little under 117 million by 2021 and Europe totalling over 76 million.

Intra-regional flows within North-east and South-east Asia, as well as the bi-directional flows across these two sub-regions, will continue to dominate the growth pattern in 2021 with the North-east Asia-to-North-east Asia flows alone numbering in excess of 300 million in 2021.

The study also projects South-east and North-east Asia to see significant arrivals from Europe, especially from West and East Europe.

Mario Hardy, PATA CEO, said in a media statement: “The importance of the Asia-Pacific region, both as a receiver and a generator of international arrivals, has been evident for some time and the momentum certainly appears to be holding over the next five years. With the maturing of many Asian source markets, destinations beyond the Asia-Pacific region are also being increasingly explored. However, these destinations need to be ready to deliver a service that the increasingly sophisticated Asian traveller has already experienced in Asia and is now seeking in destinations further afield”.

-TTG Asia.