Mastercard has released the findings from its annual Global Destination Cities Index, which unveils the top cities in the world for tourist visitation and spend.

Following an analysis of 162 cities globally, the research outlines a growth forecast for 2018 and a fascinating insight into average length of stay and spend per day globally. Specific data on the Australian tourism market reveals that the USA, Bali and Thailand continue to be preferred holiday destinations for Aussie travellers.

GLOBAL TOURISM

Bangkok and Istanbul are tipped for the largest visitation growth in 2018, while New York, Tokyo, Istanbul and London rank highest in terms of average length of stay. However, when it comes to that all-important tourist spend on the ground, Dubai is top of the tree with an impressive average spend of $537 per day, followed by Makkah, London and Singapore.

AUSTRALIAN TOURISM

The Value of Australian Tourists Travelling Internationally

The top three destinations for Australian travelers are the USA, Indonesia and Thailand respectively. Thailand and Bali continue to rank highly as popular holiday destinations: Australians counted as the second largest group to Bali after the Chinese market and the third largest to Phuket after the Chinese and Russian markets. Expenditure of outbound Australian tourists has grown by an average of 7.4% over the last eight years between 2009 and 2017 – in 2009, it sat at US$8,018 million, and by 2017 it had risen to US$14,247 million.

“International travel is crucial to many urban economies, enriching the lives of both residents and tourists. The bar is rising for cities to innovate to provide both a memorable and authentic experience,” said Miguel Gamiño Jr., executive vice president, global cities for Mastercard. “We’re partnering closely with cities around the world to ensure they have insights and technologies to improve how they attract and cater to tourists while preserving what makes them so special in the first place.”

For more information on the Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index, click here.

To read more about Australian visitation to the USA, click here.