The Grasp Card World Locations Cities Index 2015
According to the annual MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index published today, London has maintained its position as the best international travel destination for the fifth time in seven years.
Driven by insights into travel patterns, the Global Destinations Cities Index provides a ranking of the 132 most visited cities in the world. The index is more than just a travel tracker. It provides a deeper understanding of how people move around the world and speaks of the importance and importance of the world’s cities as home, travel destination and engine of growth.
According to the study, London is expected to receive 18.82 million international visitors in 2015, just ahead of second-placed Bangkok. The two cities have topped the index in their five-year history. Projected overnight guests in the remaining top 10 cities, including 2015_MC_GDCI_OnePagers_Overviewe:
- Bangkok – 18.24 million
- Paris – 16.06 million visitors
- Dubai – 14.26 million visitors
- Istanbul – 12.56 million visitors
- New York – 12.27 million visitors
- Singapore – 11.88 million visitors
- Kuala Lumpur – 11.12 million visitors
- Seoul – 10.35 million visitors
- Hong Kong – 8.66 million visitors
“MasterCard recognizes the importance of cities around the world for both travelers and those who live there,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets, MasterCard. “This year’s study helps us understand how closely connected the world’s cities are and the important role they play in connecting and empowering more people than ever before.”
Intellectual Insights: Understanding What Drives Global Cities
In 2015, nearly 383 million overnight trips are expected to be made by international visitors between the Index’s 132 cities, creating massive demand for goods, services and experiences as they spend a total of $ 360 billion during their visits.
According to the UN report on the prospects for world urbanization, two thirds of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050. By forecasting the number of international overnight travelers, the Global Destination Cities Index shows the infrastructure required to meet the expectations of both local and local visitors.
Businesses and governments can use the findings from the study to identify those areas – from transit to cultural experiences to infrastructure – where investments are needed for further growth, innovation and sustainability.
“This index is just the beginning. Through a powerful combination of knowledge, innovation and experience, MasterCard works together to build the smart cities of the future, ”said Cairns.
Infrastructure innovation and consumer experiences
Large cities like London and Chicago are building an open, interoperable transit system made possible by contactless and mobile payment with MasterCard. The optimized processes support investments in other infrastructures.
MasterCard has also developed consumer marketing programs to support the vital role cities play as centers of human interaction. In fact, six of the Top 10 Global Destination Cities are also Priceless Cities, a unique global platform that offers unique experiences, privileged access to events and attractions, and special dealer offers.
Target cities: identify trends
There are a number of important trends being noticed around the world, including:
Asia / Pacific – The region is home to three of the four fastest growing destination cities between 2009 and 2015 – Colombo, Chengdu and Osaka.
Europe – Istanbul is the most varied travel destination. 50 percent of the international overnight guests come from 33 feeder cities.
Latin America – Lima is both the top travel destination and the fastest growing city in the region, with almost 50 percent more international overnight visitors than the second tier Mexico City.
Middle East and Africa – Dubai continues to be one of the fastest growing cities in the world’s top ten, while Abu Dhabi is the third fastest growing destination city overall between 2009 and 2015.
North America – Houston is the fastest growing in North America since 2009 and the only destination city in North America with double digit growth.
Information on the MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index
The MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities ranks cities based on the number of their total international overnight arrivals and the cross-border spending of the same visitors in the destination cities, and provides forecasts for visitor and passenger growth for 2015.
Public data is used to infer the international overnight arrivals and their cross-border spending in each of the 132 destination cities using bespoke algorithms. Be especially careful to remove the hub effects for destination cities like Singapore, Dubai, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt.
This index and reports are not based on MasterCard volumes or transactional data.
Download the full report here
