H1 2010 Visitor Arrivals to Asia Pacific Grew by 11%

PATA's preliminary Asia Pacific international visitor arrivals figures for the month of June 2010, show year-on-year growth in arrivals of 17%. For the first half-year of 2010, international visitor arrivals to the region grew by a robust 11%, as compared to the same period last year.

Northeast Asia (excludes Mongolia) enjoyed buoyant growth in visitor arrivals of 19% in June 2010, the highest among other sub-regions in terms of growth for the month. Arrivals to the sub-region were boosted by strong increases in numbers to Chinese Taipei +46%, Hong Kong SAR +44%, Japan +60%, Korea (ROK) +35% and Macau SAR +31%. Overall, international visitor arrivals to Northeast Asia grew by 11% during the first half year of 2010.

Arrivals to South Asia (excludes Pakistan) grew by 13% in June, supported by significant year-on-year growth recorded by Sri Lanka +48%, the Maldives +22% and Nepal +16%. India posted a comparatively much more moderate growth of 8%, while Bhutan saw a minor decline of 1% for the month. For the first-half year, arrivals to the sub-region increased 15%, making South Asia the fastest growing sub-region within Asia and the Pacific.

Southeast Asia (excludes Lao) led the region’s recovery in the second half of 2009 and the positive momentum remained strong in the first six months of 2010. Arrivals to the sub-region rose 11% year-on-year in June and 13% for the six-month period to June 2010. Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam experienced a strong revival in visitor arrivals for the period under review, though Thailand’s first-half year growth of 14% came mainly from the first three months of the year. Growth in the second quarter of the year for the popular destination was – 4% due to the political turmoil.

After registering declines in April and May, arrivals to the Pacific (excludes Tonga) picked up in June to post a 12% increase. Arrivals to Australia and New Zealand were the main contribution to the sub-region’s rebound, with arrival growth of 11% and 8% respectively for the month. The majority of the smaller Pacific island destinations also showed increases in arrivals in June, though growth remained uneven. For the first-half of the year, visitor arrivals to the Pacific grew by a modest 4%.

It is important to note that the above results are preliminary, and PATA has used estimates for missing data. For the above data "Asia & the Pacific" includes:

 Northeast Asia = China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea (ROK), Macau and Mongolia

Southeast Asia = Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

South Asia = Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The Pacific = Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Marianas, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

See also: Singapore Visitor Arrivals in June 2010, Fiji Visitor Arrivals in June 2010 and Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals in June 2010

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