The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has released preliminary figures showing excellent growth numbers for tourism in Asia during 2010. Strong performance in Southeast Asia, which includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, highlighted the report with an 11% increase in international arrivals in 2010. Alex Francis of the online travel specialists travelmatch.co.uk, comments: “It has certainly been a strong year for the Asian market, especially in destinations such as Thailand and Malaysia, where we have seen an influx of tourists on one or two week trips.”
PATA reported international arrivals to Thailand rose by 15% in September; the report also showed strong performance in the entire Asian market with 12% year on year growth. Other notable highlights include Sri Lanka and Myanmar which saw September increases of 25% and 29% respectively. PATA also found that Europeans are travelling in increasing numbers to Asia, demonstrated by a 12% increase in arrivals during the first nine months of 2010.
According to Francis, the report demonstrates that many Europeans are travelling significantly. He states: “Many people are going abroad and doing so in greater and greater numbers. A 12% increase in European arrivals in Asia constitutes a significant jump, and indicates that people are once again starting to travel to distant destinations in the wake of the economic downturn.”
Francis also states that the findings reflect the enduring popularity of Southeast Asian destinations. He highlights the success of Thailand, which has a long history of providing excellent tourist experiences. Francis concludes: “The Thai market is very strong, and we are excited to see an increase there. It has some of the best infrastructure in Asia with superb island resorts and other warm weather destinations. The 11% increase in arrivals
shows that it is growing ever more popular, and we are excited to arrange for more of our clients to head there and enjoy a Southeast Asian vacation.”