This isn’t the first time Bangkok has wound up at the top of one of these rankings, but this latest list of the world’s top tourism destinations, compiled by MasterCard, carries a bit more weight since it uses actual numbers to reach its conclusions.
After collecting data from central banks, governments, public agencies and airlines, MasterCard has come to the conclusion that Bangkok will eclipse London this year as the world’s top tourism destination.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Bangkok is likely to host 15.98 million visitors this year, while London will host only 15.96 million.
Paris takes third place in this ranking, with a projected 13.92 million visitors. Two other Asian cities – Singapore and Kula Lumpur – wound up in the top 10 as well.
However, while Bangkok might serve as 2013’s premier location for tourist traffic, this designation comes with the unfortunate caveat that the Big Mango will also rank fourth overall in terms of tourist spending. Taking top honors in that particular scrum is New York, where visitors are expected to lay down USD18.6 billion by the end of the year.
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