Global DestinationCities Index 2019●mastercardGlobal Destination Cities Index2019 marks 10 years'worth of insights stemming from Mastercard's GlobalDestination Cities Index.Over the years,this annual report has shown therise of international travel to cities around the world and the impact it ishaving in driving local commerce.Diana Munoz RobinoSenior Vice President ofTravel is booming,but for host countries and cities,generating profits can't liveGlobal Tourism Partnershipsin isolation.Holistic strategies must create pathways to sustainable and inclusiveMastercardgrowth for all segments of society.With the right insights,innovations,andpartnerships between the public and private sectors,we can help local leaders betterunderstand how to anticipate,plan for,and manage increasing flows of visitors andhow to empower businesses of all sizes to better serve the needs of internationalvisitors.The benefits of good planning will extend beyond commerce to inclusive,sustainable growth and being respectful of local natural habitats.This year,Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index reveals Bangkok as theNo.1 city for the fourth consecutive year while Paris overtakes London for theNo.2 spot.With a decade of insights,we can identify trends of how people aretraveling internationally while showcasing emerging markets and the continuousgrowth of the industry.Consistent and Steady Growth-Over the past decade,the one constant has beencontinual change.Each year,more people are traveling internationally and spendingmore in the cities.Between all of the destinations within the Index,arrivals havegrown on average 6.5 percent year-over-year since 2009,with expenditure growingon average 7.4 percent.Sustained Dominance of Major Cities-While there has been significantmovement in visitors to smaller cities,the top 10 has remained largely consistent.London,Paris,and Bangkok have been the top 3 since 2010,with Bangkok as No.1six of the past seven years.New York is another top 10 stalwart,with 13.6 millionovernight visitors this year.Rise of Asia-Pacific International Travelers-Cities in Asia-Pacific have seenthe largest increase in international travelers since 2009,growing 9.4 percent.Incomparison,Europe,which saw the second highest growth,was up 5.5 percent.Thisis spurred on by the growth in mainland Chinese travelers.Since 2009,mainlandChina has jumped six places to be the No.2 origin country for travelers to the 200included destinations-behind only the U.SMastercard acts as the technology partner for the global travel and tourism industry.We provide complete solutions that bundle data insights,digital identity,paymentand security solutions,visitor management and infrastructure consulting in order tosolve for the unique needs of a destination.Simply put:We help our travel and tourismpartners better understand tourism spending patterns and deliver more connectedand inclusive experiences.Through the insights from the Global Destination Cities Index and Mastercard's workwith partners across the world,we continue our commitment to support economic,sustainable tourism and inclusive travel.