Tourism soars in E. Asia, Pacific

Tourism soars in E. Asia, Pacific

MADRID (Reuter): International arrivals in East Asia and the Pacific grew four times faster than the world average, reaching a record-breaking 69 million in 1993, the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization said.

While arrivals were up by 12.6 percent, tourist receipts outpaced arrivals with a 15.2 percent rise to US$52.6 billion, due in large part to intra-regional travel from Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, a WTO report said.

The number of European tourists traveling to East Asia and the Pacific region grew 6.4 percent last year.

"Arrivals from Europe -- 8.4 million last year -- are a result of trendsetters choosing far-flung destinations that are perceived as exotic and unspoilt, particularly the beach resorts of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia," WTO chief Enzo Paci said in a statement.

The WTO forecasts that East Asia and the Pacific will continue as the fastest-growing tourism region of the world with international arrivals reaching 101 million by the year 2000.

The report "Tourism Market Trends: East Asia and Pacific" is to be presented this week at WTO's regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where growth constraints will be studied.

"The biggest challenge for this region is how supply will keep up with the tremendous demand. There is already awareness that growth could be constrained by a lack of adequate airport facilities, but other infrastructure, such as hotels and roads, will also have to be built," Paci said.

The East Asia and Pacific region accounts for 14 percent of the world's total international arrivals and 17 percent of regional receipts.