Bangkok, Thailand is the new tourist go-to destination. The city edged out London, last year’s most popular place on earth.
Bangkok, Thailand is the new tourist go-to destination, edging out London, last year’s most popular place on earth.
That’s according to MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index. The report is now in its third year.
One reason Bangkok is on top is that tourism is gaining popularity among the upper middle class in Southeast Asia, and travelers like to keep it local.
There are also fun things to see and do, and it’s not all stunning temple after stunning temple and breathtaking architecture.
There’s more shopping in Bangkok than most humans could physically endure including floating food sellers and an outdoor market with over 8 thousand stalls.
Other Eastern destinations in the top 10 are Singapore, Istanbul, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong.
Tokyo didn’t make the top tier, but people who go there spend way more money, the average being almost 2200 dollars per tourist.
New York City is the world’s favorite place to blow through some cash, though. This year its visitors are expected to spend 18.6 billion dollars, more than in any other destination.