Singapore, 19 September 2018: CWT Meetings & Events, a division of global travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), today unveiled its predictions for the top ten Asia Pacific cities for M&E in 2019. The ranking is based on proprietary and industry data in CWT’s 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends report, to be published next week.
2019 forecast for top ten Asia Pacific meetings and events cities (2018/17 positions in brackets):
- Shanghai, China (2018: 1 /2017: 6)
- Singapore (2/1)
- Beijing, China (4/-)
- Bangkok, Thailand (6/3)
- Sydney, Australia (5/2)
- Tokyo, Japan (8/8)
- Hong Kong, China (10/5)
- Melbourne, Australia (-/7)
- Mumbai, India (-/9)
- Chengdu, China (-/-)
Next year’s table has one brand new entry, China’s Chengdu (10) and two cities that dropped out of the top ten in 2018 – India’s Mumbai (9) and Melbourne, Australia (8). Of the three cities who dropped off next year’s list, two were new entrants in 2018 – Taipei in Taiwan (7), and China’s Guangzhou (9) – and one was a former high flyer, Shenzhen in China, which came third in 2018.
Across Asia Pacific, cost per attendee per day is predicted to fall 4% in 2019 to US$276. The average group size is forecasted to increase to 81 in 2019, up 3% from 2018.
“We continue to see a steady growth in the demand for meetings and events across Asia Pacific,” said Sam Lay, Senior Director, Asia Pacific, CWT Meetings & Events. “This is fueling the need for more M&E professionals in the region, especially in China which is barreling ahead on all fronts.”
The Asia Pacific region is expected to lead the way for global growth in 2019, with the International Monetary Fund expecting the region’s GDP to rise by 5.6% next year, compared with a global increase of 3.9%. China, predicted to grow 6.4% in 2019, and India, predicted to grow 7.3%, will again lead the way.
Travel is growing hugely in China across all sectors, and it is already the world’s largest business travel market. Chinese tourists also spent US$258 billion on international tourism in 2017, according to the UN’s World Tourism Organization.
The more mature destinations in the region – Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Seoul – are leading the way when it comes to hosting conferences that focus more on ‘thought leadership’ and the ‘exchange of ideas’ rather than pure commerce.
In growing markets, such as Vietnam, Philippines, and Cambodia, there are strong demand for exhibitions and trade shows, where there is a lot more activities centered around buying and selling.
Domestic events are also a huge part of the meetings and events market in more isolated parts of the region, including Australia and New Zealand. The Australian cities of Sydney – the region’s 5th most popular destination for 2019 – and Melbourne still hold considerable attraction as venues for regional and global conferences, despite long travel times.
Another destination set to see plenty of attention next year is Japan, which will host the 2019 Rugby World Cup tournament, followed by the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The country’s government wants to increase visitor numbers to 40 million in 2020, a 40% rise on 2017, with plans for 60 million arrivals by 2020.
CWT Meetings & Events
CWT Meetings & Events delivers 38,500 innovative, high-quality projects for customers every year – across all industry sectors, globally. Our creative know-how helps us deliver awe-inspiring events, and our logistics expertise guarantees professional meeting services, group travel, and compliance. We manage your strategic meetings management programs with one aim in mind – to maximize your return on investment.
CWT Meetings & Events is Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s meeting and events division.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Companies and governments rely on us to keep their people connected. We provide their travelers with a consumer-grade travel experience, combining innovative technology with our vast experience. Every day, we look after enough travelers to fill more than 260 Boeing 787s and 100,000 hotel rooms - and handle 105 events. We operate in around 150 countries, and in 2017 posted a total transaction volume of more than US$ 23 billion.
