As per the preliminary figures available from Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the numbers of international visitors to the Asia Pacific region grew by three per cent year-on-year in November 2009. According to the report, all the sub-regions, with exception of the Americas, recorded growth in arrivals for the month. Southeast Asia led the Asia Pacific region’s recovery with a 15 per cent increase in arrivals, boosted by 11 per cent growth to followed by Singapore (eight per cent), Thailand (26 per cent) and Vietnam (37 per cent).

According to Kris Lim, Director, PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC) said, tourism world over is regaining some of the lost ground as travel demand continues to pick up in the last few months of 2009. “This is encouraging and we may look with greater confidence to the year ahead,” he added.

In Northeast Asia, arrivals to China (PRC) fell by two per cent but Chinese Taipei (25 per cent), Korea (ROK) (11 per cent), Hong Kong SAR ( eight per cent), Macau SAR (three per cent) and Japan (two per cent) all reported growth. Significantly, the two per cent growth registered by Japan was the first since July 2008. Overall, growth in international arrivals to Northeast Asia averaged two per cent for the month.

In South Asia, the Maldives (seven per cent), Nepal (eight per cent) and Sri Lanka ( 20 per cent) have reported strong growth. But arrivals to India fell by one per cent, limiting the sub-region’s overall arrivals growth to two per cent. The Pacific recorded a modest one per cent growth for the month on sluggish (but positive) growth in arrivals to Australia ( three per cent), New Zealand ( 0.3 per cent) and Guam ( two per cent); the US state of Hawaii however, recorded a decline of one per cent over the same period.