Travel and tourism arrivals across the Asia Pacific region expanded 4.5% in the first quarter of 2006, compared to first quarter 2005, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)'s comprehensive and comparative listing of Asia Pacific destination performance. That translates into nearly 3.5 million more arrivals for Asia Pacific destinations, year-on-year.

PATA's ‘First Quarter 2006 Quarterly Statistical Report' (‘QSR') shows which Asia Pacific destinations attracted the most increases in international visitor arrivals and from which source markets.

The top five origin-destination % growth performances for first quarter 2006 compared to first quarter 2005, (where passenger traffic was 25,000 or more) were:-

1) Russian Federation to Thailand (+138.2%)
2) China (PRC) to Thailand (+131.8%)
3) Italy to the Maldives (+126.9%)
4) Korea (ROK) to Thailand (+89.7%)
5) China (PRC) to Philippines (+87.1%)

"Thailand clearly bounced back from the post- tsunami declines it suffered in the first three months of 2005," said PATA Director-Strategic Intelligence Centre Mr John Koldowski.

In purely % growth terms, irrespective of volume, top five origin-destination growth performances for first quarter 2006 compared to first quarter 2005, were:

1) Sweden to Bhutan (+200.0%)
2) Indonesia to Chinese Taipei (+145.0%)
3) Brunei to Cambodia (+143.6)
4) Russian Federation to Thailand (+138.2%)
5) Malaysia to Tahiti (+136.4%)

The top five origin-destination pairs with the greatest volume gains in first quarter 2006 over first quarter 2005 were:

1) Hong Kong SAR to China (PRC) (+680,681)
2) China (PRC) to Hong Kong SAR (+553,052)
3) China (PRC) to Macau SAR (+492,748)
4) Hong Kong SAR to Macau SAR (+237,802)
5) Canada to USA (+150,232)

PATA's ‘First Quarter 2006 Quarterly Statistical Report' (‘QSR'), which was released last week, can be purchased at www.pata.org/catalogue . PATA members are eligible for discounts.

Each ‘QSR' includes visitor arrivals by country of origin, outbound travel data for selected PATA-member destinations, percentage changes over the same quarter of the previous year and an update of four years' worth of monthly arrivals and departures data.