Asia-Pacific tourism to double by 2010

Asia-Pacific tourism to double by 2010

MALE (AFP): The World Tourism Organization (WTO) expects the number of travelers to the Asia-Pacific region to double to around 240 million by 2010.

While still lagging behind Europe, the region could overtake the Americas, according to the figures released at a four day meeting in the Maldives of Asia Pacific tourism ministers.

Rather than a travel decline in Europe and America, which together accounted for 76 percent of tourism receipts in 1996, the trend reflects the emergence of new destinations and higher living standards in Asia, the organization said.

Last year, people living in Asia-Pacific countries accounted for 75 percent of the region's international tourism.

Some 240 million foreign visitors could be pouring into Asia- Pacific countries by 2010, the WTO predicted, compared to 94 million in 1996.

Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia will see average annual tourism growth of 7.6 percent up to 2010.

The WTO had previously predicted annual growth of six percent.

Total foreign arrivals in East Asia and the Pacific amounted to almost 90 million in 1996, 7.9 percent more than the year before. Tourism receipts totaled over 82 billion dollars, up 13 percent.

Already the fastest growing tourism region over the past decade, Asia-Pacific could see international arrivals rocket to 229 million by 2010.

But growth was slower last year compared to 1995. This partly reflects transport infrastructure limitations, especially airport capacity.

The smaller South Asia tourism market will also enjoy a high average annual growth rate of 6,7 percent until 2010, when it will welcome 11 million visitors annually.

India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, Iran and Bhutan attracted 4.5 million international tourists in 1996, a 4.3 percent increase on 1995.

The four billion dollar receipts were 8.4 percent higher. East Asia/Pacific and South Asia will be the fastest growing regional destinations in the next 13 years according to WTO forecasts. Tourism worldwide will only grow at around 4.1 percent a year.

Europe -- which had 347 million international tourist arrivals last year out of 592 million worldwide -- is expected to remain the world's biggest attraction.

With estimated annual growth rate of 3.1 percent, European countries will be getting around 525 million foreign visitors a year in 13 years, according to the WTO.

However, their world share of international tourism will decline to 51.5 percent by 2010.

There were 115 million visitors to the Americas last year, but annual growth is expected to stay around 3.8 percent, taking the figure to 195 million by 2010, when the region will fall behind East Asia and the Pacific.

Tourism in the Middle East -- which had 15 million visitors in 1996 -- could experience average annual growth rate of 4.3% over the next 13 years. International travel to African nations, which had 19.6 million arrivals last year, is predicted to increase by 4.6 percent a year.