Tourist arrivals to Asia-Pacific up 10 per cent in first quarter

Tourist arrivals to the Asia-Pacific region rose 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 year-on-year, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) reported Wednesday.

The tourism rebound was strongest in South Asia, up 17 per cent compared with the same period last year and South-East Asia, up 16 per cent, PATA said.

"All the destinations in the (South Asia) sub-region rebounded strongly from the relatively poor first quarter of 2009, which, in the cases of India and Sri Lanka, were severely impacted by the lingering effects of the Mumbai attacks and the civil war, respectively," a statement released in Bangkok said.

Tourist arrivals jumped 30 per cent in Nepal, 21 per cent in the Maldives and 57 per cent in Bhutan during the first three months of this year.

Arrivals were up across the board in South-East Asia which saw incoming tourists increase 10 per cent in Cambodia, 15 per cent in Indonesia, 39 per cent in Myanmar, 20 per cent in Singapore, 28 per cent in Thailand and 36 per cent in Vietnam.

"Thailand recorded a 28-per-cent gain in arrivals January to March, however, it is expected that this early recovery will be severely impacted by the tensions and unrest in April and May, especially in Bangkok and it's immediate surrounds," PATA said.

Bangkok witnessed two months of anti-government protests from March to May that resulted in bloody street clashes, with 89 people dead and parts of the capital in flames.

In North-East Asia, China reported a 4-per-cent increase in international arrivals, Hong Kong a 17-per-cent increase, Macao 12 per cent, Taiwan 28 per cent and Japan's arrivals surged 29 per cent.

South Korea, on the other hand, recorded a 1-per-cent decline, reversing the positive trends seen in 2009.