TBM Staff - Mumbai
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has unveiled the Executive Summary report detailing its latest projections for international visitor arrivals (IVAs) across Asia Pacific. The report indicates robust annual growth in numbers for 2024, with this momentum expected to continue through 2026.
Asia is projected to dominate as a supplier region of IVAs, making a substantial comeback by contributing more than 58% of all IVAs into Asia Pacific in 2024 under each of the three scenarios. America and Europe are expected to follow with shares of approximately 19% and 14%, respectively, during the same year.
Anticipated outcomes suggest that, under the mild scenario, pre-COVID levels of IVAs will be surpassed in 2024, while the medium scenario envisions this achievement in 2025. However, the possibility of a severe scenario remains, forecasting arrival numbers to linger around 13 percentage points below the 2019 benchmark by the end of 2026. Despite this, the growth observed across the Asia Pacific region underscores the significant efforts by destinations in attracting international travellers, emphasising the crucial role of the entire visitor economy in national economic recovery.
Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO of PATA, commented on the latest forecasts, highlighting the swift recovery of international arrivals in the Asia Pacific region. He noted that the projections indicate strong visitor growth annually from 2024 to 2026 under mild and medium scenarios, driven partly by joint agreements on destination visa requirements.
However, Hamid cautioned against expecting uniform growth across all destinations, emphasising the need for flexibility and preparedness in the face of industry shifts and uncertainties. In absolute terms, the projected number of IVAs for 2024 ranges from a high of 750 million under the mild scenario to 477 million under the severe scenario.
Despite the current scenario conditions, it appears that Asia will maintain a formidable advantage in International Visitor Arrival (IVA) numbers each year from 2024 to 2026, securing over 70% of arrivals into and across the Asia Pacific region. While annual increases in IVA numbers are anticipated during this period, variations exist among the three destination regions and the 39 individual destinations covered in the report, influenced by different scenarios.
By the end of 2026, Asia is forecasted to account for over 61% of all foreign arrivals across Asia Pacific.
Hamid emphasised, “While arrival numbers continue to rise, challenges related to staffing and upholding service excellence remain pivotal concerns for destinations within the region. This is particularly pertinent now, as global competition actively targets the burgeoning source markets within Asia Pacific. Any hint of complacency poses a constant threat and must be diligently avoided.”
