Published on : Wednesday, February 6, 2013
tourism in 2013 is overwhelmingly positive, thanks to continued good prospects for the region’s economies. Asia remained the powerhouse for world tourism growth in 2012 with strong growth of 7% in outbound travel as incomes rose and consumers were able to travel more. The outlook for 2013 is even stronger, experts said at the World Travel Monitor Forum in Pisa.
On a similar positive note, 29% of Asians plan to travel more in 2013, up from the 26% figure of 2011. Only 16% plan to travel less, compared to 21% of 2011 while 52% plan similar travel levels in 2013. Taking all these factors into account, IPK predicts a healthy 6% increase in Asian outbound travel in 2013.
According to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, released in October 2012, Asian GDP as a whole likely to grow by 5.4% in 2012 and by 5.9% in 2013. Chinese growth could improve to 8.2% in 2013 from 7.8% in 2012, South Korea could see 3.7% growth, up from 2.7% in 2012 and Japan should consolidate 2.2% growth with a further 1.2% increase in 2013.
The IMF has also predicted healthy growth for India and South-East Asian countries. Prospects for Asian tourism in 2013 are even stronger. Only one third (32%) of Asians say the financial crisis will impact their travel planning while two thirds (68%) say they will not be affected.
|
||
   
|
||
