5 Indian cities find spot in index of Mastercard global destination
Five Indian cities have been named among the top 100 destination cities globally, with Mumbai and Chennai registering at least 1 million overnight visitors in 2016, says a report.
According to the sixth annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index released on Thursday, the five have made it to the top 100 destination cities for 2016.
Mumbai was ranked at 27 while Chennai was placed at the 30th position. Delhi came in at 48, Kolkata (62), along with Pune (91).
Mumbai and Chennai stand out as the fastest growing destination cities globally with at least 1 million overnight visitors in 2016, the report said. Mumbai further consolidated its position as the only Indian city to enter Asia Pacific's Top 10 Destination Cities in terms of international overnight visitors in 2016.
"Ranked at number 10, right after Shanghai, the city boasts of 4.86 million visitors along with a visitor spend of USD 3.6 billion for 2016," the report said.
"With an evolving business landscape and thriving tourist destinations, India has been witnessing a high influx of overseas travellers for both business and other purposes," Parag Bhatnagar, Vice-President, Marketing, South Asia, Mastercard, said.
On the five Indian cities making the cut, Bhatnagar said, "This trend also projects a huge potential for Indian cities to develop as global hubs for investment in terms of business and tourism alike." Meanwhile, Bangkok has emerged as the leading destination city by international overnight visitor arrivals.
According to the study, Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international overnight visitors in 2016, just ahead of the second-ranked London.
Asia makes up half of the global top 10 -- Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul -- and seven of the top 10 fastest growing destination cities -- Osaka, Chengdu, Colombo, Tokyo, Taipei, Xi’an and Xiamen.
The Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index provides more than a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world. It projects visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 while delivering a deeper understanding of how people travel and spend around the world.