Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1180450
www.travelweekly-asia.com 18 OCTOBER 2019 D AY 3 TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA I T B A S I A S H O W D A I L I E S 5 Okinawa is Asia's red-hot destination The Japanese city edged out Kyoto to make it to MasterCard's list of top 20 cities for the first time BY IAN JARRETT J apan is now the most visited destination in Asia and Okinawa, its tropical getaway, is Asia Pacific's fastest rising city. The tourism hotspot rankings were revealed in Mastercard's Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2019 (APDI), which ranks 161 Asia Pacific destinations according to the number of overnight international visitor arrivals received, as well as their cross-border spending. Okinawa has surged in the Mastercard rankings, gaining 109 places since 2009. Japan is the only market in the APDI to command 25% of Asia Pacific's top 20 destinations, with Okinawa nudging out Kyoto to join the list for the first time, alongside Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido and Chiba. Led by Okinawa, the list of 10 fastest rising cities also includes Ludhiana in India's northern state of Punjab, which has jumped 78 places since 2009. Sri Lanka's coastal getaway Galle is ninth, having climbed 54 places since 2009. While Mainland China continues to dominate as an important source market, South Korea and Japan are noteworthy as the next biggest Asian origin markets. China accounts for 18.2% of international overnight arrivals within the region, while South Korea contributes 9.1% and Japan 6.0%. India is another source market to watch, says Mastercard. In 2018, India recorded 14.9 million outbound travellers, of which nearly half visited destinations in Asia Pacific. Five destinations – Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul – attracted 22% of all overnight visitors and captured 25.2% of total travel expenditure. "It is important to understand not only how continuously rising travel numbers impact cities and destinations for the better, but also the challenges they pose," said Rupert Naylor, senior vice president, data & services, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. "This equips governments, merchants and the global travel industry with the insights they need to better serve their residents and visitors." CREDIT: SEANPAVONEPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES Okinawa has rocketed up the Mastercard rankings, gaining 109 places since 2009.