Asia tourism won in 2001: Report

Asia tourism won in 2001: Report

Dominic Whiting, Reuters, Bangkok

Asia's reputation as a relatively safe destination combined with the Sept.11 attacks on the United States spurred an increase in tourists to most of the region, an industry said on Thursday.

A report by the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) showed that just over 80 million people visited Asian countries, up 3.5 percent, with Malaysia, Mongolia, Cambodia and China notching up the highest percentage gains.

"After Sept.11, a number of Asian national tourism offices redirected their marketing budget away from Europe and North America to more local markets," PATA spokesman Ken Scott said.

"Within Asia-Pacific, southeast and northeast Asia regrouped, but South Asia suffered because of proximity to Afghanistan."

The United States registered 39.8 million international arrivals, a 10.8 percent fall on the previous year, and in the fourth quarter, after Sept.11, tourist numbers fell 33 percent compared to the same period in 2000, the group said.

Aggressive marketing by Malaysia helped attract an extra 2.55 million tourists in 2001, up 25 percent on the previous year.

"They were doing a lot of marketing, discounts, promotions. familiarization trips for the press -- very energetic," Scott said.

Mongolia saw tourist numbers rise 21.4 percent and Cambodia welcomed 16.1 percent more visitors in 2001. Over 11 million tourists visited China, up 10.1 percent on 2000.

Scott said South Koreans have been venturing out of their country in greater numbers in the last year because a strengthening economy has given people more spending money.

In 2001, slightly more than six million South Koreans traveled abroad, up 10 percent on 2000, with China and Japan the most popular destinations.

Vietnam, which saw foreign visitor numbers rise 8.4 percent last year, would be the next high-growth tourist destination, Scott said.

"Vietnam's on the rise because it's perceived as a safe haven if you're concerned about security issues," Scott said.

"It's a big country with a big population and relatively undiscovered -- still perceived as exotic," he said.

"Infrastructure in Vietnam reflects its low economic base, but the government's very proactive, easing visa regulations and adding more flights."