The Global Destination Cities Index released by MasterCard for the second quarter of 2013 has Bangkok on top of the list. The ranking of the top 20 destination cities remains the same as in 2012, except for Bangkok beating London to occupy the first position....read more

"Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future": World Tourism Day 2013 Theme

Asia Pacific

Switzerland eyes 8% growth in overnight visitors from India in 2013 from 5, 50,000 in 2012. Switzerland Tourism, responsible for promotion of the country’s tourism looks to increase the number of tourists by moving to tier II and III towns to tap the
potential there.... read more

Golf To Attract High Spenders In New Zealand

Europe

For the ninth consecutive year, International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) has ranked Germany as the leading European conference location for international associations. At the same time, Germany has also continued at the second most popular spot for association meetings globally, behind only the U.S. Berlin rose from fourth to third place in the worldwide city category hosting 172 international association conferences in 2012.... read more

Fewer Brits Going Long Haul

Middle East/Africa

According to Dubai’s new tourism vision for 2020 targets 20 million visitors and more than 1 billion USD in revenue per year. The number of tourists to Dubai increased from just 5 million per annum to 10 million tourists over the past eight years. To widen the range of tourism offerings, Dubai will have three key areas of focus - as the world’s leading family destination, as an event destination, and as a business destination.... read more

Visa Card: Top Spenders Abroad Are Saudi Arabians

“As one of the largest economic sectors in the world, it is the responsibility of the tourism sector to take a leadership role and ensure companies and destinations invest in adequate water management throughout the value chain. If managed sustainably, tourism can bring benefits to the national and local communities and support water preservation. I urge all those involved in the tourism sector to join our global World Tourism Day campaign and continue to devise innovate solutions to ensuring sustainable access to water resources worldwide”.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai in his official World Tourism Day 2013 message.

World's Top Tourism Spenders, 2012*