Asian cities outnumbered their counterparts in Europe and America in a ranking of destinations by international tourist arrivals in 2017, according to GlobalData.

In the top 10, Asia was represented by seven cities – Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzhen. In comparison Europe, the Middle East and America were limited to one city each – London, Dubai and New York City respectively.

According to GlobalData, depreciation of most of the Asian currencies (except the Chinese yuan) played a vital role in attracting international visitors to Asian cities.

Bangkok remains the top international tourist destination globally for the third consecutive year, with 20.8 million international visitors in 2017. Tourism-friendly visa policies, strong promotional efforts and low cost connectivity drove Bangkok to the top spot.

London was the second most preferred destination with 20.4 million international visitors riding on the back of depreciation in the value of the British pound since the Brexit referendum, followed by Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong with 17.4 million, 15.8 million and 14 million, respectively.

However, despite lower hotel costs, the occupancy rate in most of the Asian cities was around 70 per cent, lower than cities in Europe and America in 2017. GlobalData attributed this to the growth in hotel development in recent years outstripping the increase in the number of travellers.

Exception is seen in Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul, where business purpose tourists helped maintain occupancy rates at more than 80 per cent. In terms of average daily rate, New York City leads the pack, followed by London.

GlobalData expects Asian cities to continue to dominate the top 10 arrivals ranking, primarily due to reasons such as the advent of LCCs and the development of highways and railways in the region.

Hotels in the Asia-Pacific region posted growth across the three key performance metrics during 2Q2018, according to data from STR, with notable peaks seen in Australia, Indonesia and Singapore.

The regional occupancy level was at 70.4%, up 1% from the previous quarter. Average daily rate (ADR) rose 3.1% to US$105, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) was up 4.1% to US$73.95.

In Australia, the 73.2% (+1.3%) absolute occupancy level was the highest for any 2Q on record in the country, STR reported. That came even with 2.1% more room nights available compared with 2Q2017. ADR was at A$178.60 (US$131.70) (+1.5%) and RevPAR A$130.71 (+2.8%).

Gold Coast, host of the XXI Commonwealth Games in April, was the standout Australian market with RevPAR up 24.2% to A$138.40 for the quarter.

STR further observes that performance growth was stronger outside of the capital markets as supply growth had a greater effect on RevPAR comparisons in Perth (-4.5% to A$113), Sydney (-2.1% to A$174.70) and Hobart (-0.7% at A$125.50). However, in absolute values, Sydney remained the top performer in the country.

Another market with notable performance is Indonesia, whose 60.6% (+2.5%) absolute occupancy level was the best the country has since for 2Q since 2014. ADR grew 3.5% to over one million rupiah (US$69.40), and RevPAR was up 6.1% to 629,693 rupiah.

STR analysts note that performance increases were seen in Bali (+9.1%), Jakarta (+4.1%), Surabaya (+7.4%) and Yogyakarta (+8.7%). In June specifically, Bali’s RevPAR grew 15.9% to over Rp1.2 million rupiah, with demand lifted by Eid al-Fitr and the school holiday.

Turning to Singapore, occupancy rose 2.9% to 81.3% – the highest for 2Q the city has seen since 2013 – even with significant supply growth (+4.5%). ADR was up 0.9% to S$263.60 (US$193.40), and RevPAR grew 3.8% to reach S$214.40.

June was the strongest month of the quarter with RevPAR up 6.9% to S$217. According to STR analysts, the country’s demand was boosted by the North Korea-US Summit on June 12. Hotels in the Orchard Area, specifically, reported high ADR premiums and three consecutive days with double-digit RevPAR growth from June 10 to 12.

Chinese millennials born after 1990 are especially pushing the boundaries of international travel, increasing their travel expenditure by a staggering 80% in the past year to fund social media-influenced trips “full of edgy experiences, high-tech accommodation, exotic delicacies and taboo ticket-items”, according to recent research by Hotels.com.

The study, part of the Chinese International Travel Monitor, found that Chinese travellers overall spent 40% more in the past 12 months, compared to the previous year, with the majority (60%) planning to spend even more the next year.

One highlight of the research was that travel brag moments and selfies had a massive influence on the Chinese traveller experience in 2017, with almost two thirds of respondents (60%) posting three to five times a day.

The study also found that the Chinese are travelling farther afield, staying away longer and spending more money, with Europe, North America, Latin America and Australia sought after over the past 12 months. This year also saw travellers extending their trips by an average of one to two extra days compared with the previous year.

Next year, Europe, Africa and the Middle East are the top new destinations for more than half of travellers. North America will continue to be a hot favourite, and Latin America is also emerging as a popular choice, with 26% and 13% of travellers planning a first-time visit to these destinations in the next year respectively. Over a third of travellers plan to visit Oceania next year, with Australia topping the list for future visits.

Chinese travellers are also keen to travel further to new destinations. More than half of Chinese travellers (60%) intend to travel to a country they have not visited.

More than one third (37%) still intend to visit countries they’ve been to before but will go to different cities. Key locations in Asia are top of the list for these travellers. Japan is a standout, with 46% planning to revisit but travelling to different cities there. South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand are also high on the list.

Staying in atypical accommodation was important to over half of travellers, who opted for out-of-the-box and independent hotels with local flavour (55%) over star ratings. Another 33% booked boutique hotels, 23% eco-friendly hotels and 21% hotels with cutting-edge technology.

Chinese travellers are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to getting down with authentic experiences – tasting exotic local delicacies (69%) and scouring the streets for authentic local items (43%) over shopping for luxury items (38%).

Connectivity and efficiency are key for Chinese on-the-go youngsters, with co-working spaces (39%), voice-activated technology (38%), virtual reality booking (38%), robotic customer service (32%), mobile phone operated room access (31%) and social media live lounges (26%) all desired additions to their accommodation.

The ability to QR code scan via WeChat and acceptance of mobile phone payment were particular points for development for Chinese travellers, according to Hotels.com. Booking and reservation methods were not up-to-scratch for a third of travellers, while local transport arrangements along with Mandarin-speaking guides and hotel staff were also areas for improvement.

While Asian cruise passenger numbers surged 20.6% to hit another record high of over four million in 2017, overall cruise capacity deployed in the region is expected to decline marginally this year, according to the Asia Cruise Trends 2018 report recently released by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Between 2012 and 2017, Asian cruise passengers grew from 775,000 to nearly 4.1 million, an estimated 39% compound annual growth rate.

However, China, the main driver of passenger growth in Asia for the last few years, experienced a deceleration last year, adding 286,000 passengers compared to more than one million passengers in 2016.

Still, it maintained its dominance, accounting for 59% of all Asian cruise passengers.

Asia’s other major passenger source markets were Taiwan (374,000), Singapore (267,000), Japan (262,000), Hong Kong (230,000), Malaysia (188,000) and India (172,000).

CLIA observes that the majority (91%) of Asian cruisers sailed within the region in 2017, with intra-regional cruising expected to continue dominating into 2018. For longhaul, inter-regional cruisers, Europe was top choice in 2017 with 25% travelling to the Western Mediterranean, and 9% and 8% respectively traveling to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Baltics.

The Caribbean and Alaska are also popular, accounting for 24% and 11% of Asian cruisers travelling outside Asia.

Shorter sailings were by far the most popular, with the greatest share of passengers sailing four to six nights (66%), followed by two to three nights (26%) and 7 to 13 nights (5%).

In 2018, CLIA estimates overall cruise capacity deployed in Asia will slide 2% versus the planned ship calls in the prior year – although there will be more ships and a broader variety of cruise products in Asian waters.

Most capacity is coming from mega and large ships with six and 19 of them deployed in Asia respectively. As for mid-size ships, 27 are being deployed in 2018.

Small upscale ships will also be active in the region with 21 deployed seasonally, while the expedition niche will have five ships deployed in limited seasons.

In 2018, 7,169 port calls are being made in the region, 27 less than last year. Some 288 different destinations in Asia will receive cruise ships this year, and 24 Asian ports will host 99 or more calls each.

Destination markets seeing the most calls are Japan (2,601), mainland China (1,012), and Thailand (581) in 2018. Top ports with over 300 total calls planned in 2018 include Baoshan/Shanghai (416), Singapore (374) and Keelung/Taipei (322).

In terms of potential for tourist visits, Japan, Mainland China and Singapore are expected to host the most passenger destination days, with their respective capacity for over 4.8 million, 2.4 million and 900,000 passengers.

The volume in South Korea came down from 1.8 million originally scheduled last year to less than 224,000 in 2018.

With the combination of more and larger ships, added cruises and multiple port call visits, the cruise industry will bring 12.9 million passenger destination days to localities across Asia. This will be about 600,000 (or 4%) less than in 2017, according to CLIA.

Chinese demand for customised travel surged 300 per cent in 2017, with European destinations most favoured among those eschewing traditional package deals, according to a joint research by ForwardKeys and the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI).

Summer bookings are ahead 13.5 per cent, and there are currently over 120,000 new orders a month, representing a market share of almost 15 per cent, according to the study.

Data from ForwardKeys, which predicts future travel patterns by analysing 17 million booking transactions a day, further shows that China bookings for Europe are ahead 10.5 per cent this summer.

Europe – and particularly the UK – are the destinations most favoured by the new breed of Chinese travellers opting for customised holidays.

This group of travellers tend to be younger than average, “money-rich and time-poor”, ForwardKeys observes. They are prepared to pay more than average for the chance, for instance, to stay in a glass igloo in Finland or propose to their partner in front of the Eiffel Tower.

And according to Chinese OTA Ctrip, travellers customising their holidays typically spend around US$400 per person per day, a number set to grow further.

Until recently, mass-market package tour groups from China drove inbound volumes for destinations, but their spending was limited to famous landmarks during high seasons. Ctrip says the trend is to make customised travel an “affordable luxury”, available to more Chinese.

Wolfgang Georg Arlt, COTRI founder, said: “Europe is a perfect example of destinations that have great potential to fulfil the demand for customised travel from China, owing to its rich history and broad cultural diversity.”

ForwardKeys CEO and co-founder, Olivier Jager, added: “There is a bright future for organisations involved in Chinese travel to Europe. As a longhaul destination, Europe has the largest market share of Chinese outbound travel, receiving 9.3 per cent of the market. Over six million Chinese citizens visited Europe as their first stop in 2017; and our figures show more growth this year.”

With the growing popularity of customised holidays, the demand for travel service providers has not waned, Arlt remarked.

“Visas, entry tickets and transport can be difficult for individual travellers to arrange by themselves and even more so in the face of language barriers. The time difference and varied ways of communicating can present complications to those travellers who are making their own arrangements. Accordingly, there is a strong demand for travel professionals to provide extensive travel services.”