Tourism to Grow Fastest in Asia-Pacific Until 2010

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. October 14, 2008

The tourism industry in Asia-Pacific countries is expected to grow by 6.5 percent annually over the next 15 years, according to the World Tourism Organization (WTO). This would be faster than the anticipated annual world average growth of 4.1 percent.

In its Tourism 2020 Vision, the WTO said that from the actual 153 million in 2004, tourist arrivals to the Asia-Pacific region would reach 195.2 million by 2010 and 397.2 million by 2020.

Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, are expected to have the fastest growth in both international tourist arrivals and tourism receipts.

Globally, the WTO forecasts that international tourist arrivals would climb to 1.561 billion by 2020 from only 565 million in 1995.

Europe is expected to remain the top destination of international travelers, but its share in total tourist arrivals would drop from almost 60 percent in 1995 to 46 percent by 2010.

East Asia and the Pacific will displace the Americas as the second top destination of international guests, with its share predicted to widen from 14 percent in 1995 to 25 percent by 2010.

In 2004, international tourist arrivals went up by 10.7 percent to 763 million from 690 million in 2003, buoyed by a 27.9 percent surge in arrivals to East Asia and the Pacific.

International tourism receipts also reached $623 billion in 2004, of which $125 billion went to East Asia and the Pacific.

Data showed that tourist arrivals to the Philippines went up by 20 percent to 2.291 million in 2004 from only 1.907 million in 2003, with tourism receipts rising to $2.012 billion from $1.545 billion.