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Asia Pacific
Bangkok tops MasterCard visitor spending index
For the first time an Asian city has taken the top spot in MasterCard’s 2013 Global Destination Cities Index
The Index also revealed that Melbourne for the first time joins Sydney among the Asia/Pacific region’s top ten destinations for big spending by international visitors.
The Index, which covers 132 of the world’s largest cities across Asia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and North America, has revealed that Bangkok has squeezed out London for top honours as this year’s number one city for travel.
Of the 132 cities ranked, 42 are Asian countries.
Bangkok is followed by Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, and five of the top 10 in 2013 are in the Greater China region.
“With the rise of the Asia/Pacific region, this year’s index reflects the rebalance that the globe is undergoing in large part because of the rise of emerging markets,” said Ann Cairns, president of international markets, MasterCard Worldwide.
“This shift is further underscored by electronic payments, which are enabling more people from more places to participate in the global economy than ever before.”
Ian Jarrett
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