PATA wary of latest visitor arrival figures
BANGKOK – Latest figures released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show that the numbers of international visitors to the Asia Pacific region improved by a marginal 0.5 percent during the month of August 2009 compared to August 2008.
However, figures recorded for the first eight months of 2009 in the same region show that international visitor arrivals are down, year-on-year, by some five percent.
John Koldowski, director of PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC), said, “Care needs to be taken in interpreting the latest results as we are entering a period now where the comparative base of last year began its decline.
“Even mediocre performances now may look good against the backdrop of 2008.”
Northeast Asia recorded a year-on-year increase of four percent in international visitor arrivals for August 2009 with growth in China (PRC) (+3 percent), Hong Kong SAR (+6 percent) and Macau SAR (+7 percent) pushing the aggregate figure into positive territory in relative terms.
Arrivals to Southeast Asia grew by three percent in August, mainly supported by strong arrivals to Malaysia (+10 percent).
Cambodia was the only other country in this sub-region with positive arrivals growth (+9 percent). Rates of decline in arrivals to Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam moderated – but arrivals to Indonesia fell by nearly six percent following the bombings in Jakarta in mid-July.
Arrivals to South Asia were down by four percent on a steep nine percent decline in arrivals to India.
Ian Jarrett
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