The world's most visited destinations 2017: Mastercard release Asia Pacific Destination Index

Where did we go in 2016? What's hot, what's not, and are there any clues where not to go if we want to avoid the hordes?

Mastercard has recently released its second Asia Pacific Destinations Index, an in-depth look at tourism trends within the region, ranking 179 cities and islands according to total number of international overnight arrivals, where they come from, how much they spend and the total number of nights spent at each.

It's big business. In 2016 the Asia-Pacific region welcomed 339 million international tourists who spent a total of US$245 billion. Tourism now contributes 8.5 per cent of Asia Pacific GDP. As a percentage of regional GDP and numbers employed, the Asia Pacific is the world's largest tourism industry.

Asia Pacific Top 20 Destinations by International Overnight Arrivals (millions):

Bangkok 19.3
Singapore 14.1
Tokyo 12.6
Seoul 12.4
Kuala Lumpur 11.3
Phuket 9.1
Hong Kong 8.9
Pattaya 8.1
Osaka 7.4
Taipei 7.4
Bali 7.2
Shanghai 6.5
Hokkaido 5.3
Chennai 5.2
Mumbai 4.9
Beijing 4.1
Guangdong 4.1
Chiba 4.1
Guangzhou 3.9
Sydney 3.9

See also: TripAdvisor names world's top landmarks for 2017