Agoda.com, one of the world’s fastest-growing digital travel platforms announced the most popular places to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
In Asia Pacific, Tokyo steadfastly continues to be the most popular destination to ring in the New Year taking top spot again in 2019, while Taipei moves up to number two spot, and knocks Bangkok into third place. Thailand has, however, the most destinations for New Year Eve celebrations in the Asia Pacific region, with three of its bustling cities featuring in the rankings (Bangkok at #3, Chiang Mai at #7, and Pattaya at #10). Manila makes an entrance at number six.
In Europe, Paris and London have both held on to their spots as the two most popular destinations, while Rome leapfrogged Barcelona to take the third most popular destination title. The top climber in the European rankings this year is Milan which with its free New Year’s Eve shows, traditional fireworks displays and buzzing nightlife has moved up three places to become the seventh most popular New Year’s Eve destination.
This year, in North America, the party city of Las Vegas has edged out New York as the number one New Year’s Eve destination. Meanwhile, similar to last year, the City of Angels Los Angeles remains the third most popular destination to ring in the New Year. Hawaii’s Honolulu entered the list of the first time this year, coming in strong at the fourth rank with its beaches, lively parties and rich culture.
Overall Top 2019 Destinations
According to 2019 booking data from Agoda, Japan and Thailand continued to win hearts as the top Asian countries to visit for travelers across the globe. Among European countries, France took the crown, nudging the United Kingdom and Italy into second and third place for the year.
Meanwhile, Bangkok, Paris and Las Vegas were the top destination cities in Asia, Europe and North America respectively for the last 12 months. Bangkok and Las Vegas held on to their crowns as top destinations in their regions as compared to last year, while Paris replaced London as the most popular destination in Europe.
MARKET INSIGHTS – NEW YEARS’ EVE TRAVEL AND 2019 MOST-BOOKED DESTINATIONS
AUSTRALIA
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Melbourne has knocked Bali off the number one destination for Australians to ring in the New Year. Bali is the second most popular destination this year, while Sydney continues to hold on to its number three spot for the third year running.
- Tokyo, which steadily climbed the rankings from 2016-2018 to reach the number two spot last year, has slipped to become the fourth most popular destination to welcome the New Year this time around.
- In addition to Melbourne and Sydney, Aussies looking to stay closer to home for their New Year’s break will likely be heading to Perth (#6), Gold Coast (#7), and Brisbane (#8).
2019 Top Destinations
- Australia, Indonesia and Japan remain as the top markets for Australians in 2019 — with all three continuing to hold on to their rankings for the second year in a row.
- Bali has also maintained its spot as the number one spot to visit for Australians in 2019, followed by domestic destinations such as Melbourne (#2), Sydney (#3), Brisbane (#4), Gold Coast (#5) and Perth (#6)
CHINA
New Year’s Eve Travel 2019
- Tokyo holds on to its number one spot as the most popular destination for Chinese travelers to spend New Year’s Eve. This is followed by Seoul (#2) and Osaka (#3), which replace Bangkok and Hong Kong in the top three this year.
- Sapporo has risen in popularity for Chinese travelers taking a New Year’s Eve break, rising four places to the number four spot in 2019.
- New entrants in top 10 list to celebrate New Year’s Eve this year (as compared to 2018) are Singapore (#6), Jeju Island (#8), Nagoya (#9) and Macau (#10).
2019 Top Destinations
- Chinese travelers headed to Japan replacing domestic travel as the top destination. Thailand, in the meantime, retains its #3 spot on the list for the second year running.
- The 10 top cities for Chinese travelers are just short plane rides away — with cities like Tokyo (#1), Hong Kong (#2), Osaka (#3), Kyoto (#4) and Bangkok (#5) hitting their top five.
INDONESIA
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Jakarta is back as the most popular destination for Indonesians to celebrate the New Year in 2019, after briefly giving up the top spot to Bali in 2018. This year Bali is number two, followed by Yogyakarta in the third spot.
- Indonesians prefer to stay close to home for the New Year, with only three international destinations making the top ten list. These included Kuala Lumpur (#5), Tokyo (#6) and Singapore (#8).
2019 Top Destinations
- Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan hold on to their top three spots as the most popular countries for Indonesians in 2019.
- The top cities for Indonesian travelers this year remain largely similar to 2018, with domestic destinations such as Jakarta (#1), Bali (#2), Bandung (#3), Yogyakarta (#4), Surabaya (#5) retaining their positions in the top five.
- A new entry to the list includes they bustling city of Tangerang which has gained favor for its golf, shopping and nightlife.
ISRAEL
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Similar to previous years, Thailand remains a popular New Year’s Eve destination country for Israeli travelers, with four Thai destinations amongst the top ten. This includes Bangkok (#1), Koh Phangan (#2), Koh Samui (#5) and Phuket (#6).
- Israeli travelers tend to head to Europe for their New Year break with popular tourist destinations such as Berlin (#3), Madrid (#4), Rome (#7), Vienna (#8), Budapest (#9) and London (#10) making up majority of the list.
- Interestingly, London dropped drastically in popularity to the number 10 spot this year as compared to number 1 in both 2016 and 2018, and number three in 2017.
2019 Top Destinations
- Thailand (#1) and Israel (#2) continue to dominate as the preferred country to travel to for Israelis according to Agoda’s booking data. In third place, the United States comes in as a new entry — replacing Japan.
- Bangkok and London, which appeared in second and third place in 2018’s list, have risen to top spots this year — edging out Tel Aviv which took the number three spot this year (compared to #1 in 2018). Other cities on Israel’s top 10 list includes popular Asian destinations such as Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand, as well as Tokyo, Japan.
JAPAN
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Japanese travelers continue to favour domestic destinations for their New Year’s Eve travel plans with six of the top 10 destinations being local. Tokyo and Osaka take the number one and number two spots respectively.
- Amongst international destinations, Japanese are heading to regional favorites such as Bangkok (#3), Taipei (#5), Seoul (#6) and Pattaya (#8).
- Interestingly, Bali does not feature on the top 10 New Year’s Eve destinations list for Japanese travelers this year for the first time since 2016.
2019 Top Destinations
- Similar to 2018, domestic destinations continue to reign supreme for Japanese travelers with Japan leading the list as the top destination country overall. South Korea, which came in third place last year, has risen a spot to hit second place, followed by Thailand.
- The top destination cities for travelers in 2019 is led by local cities such as Tokyo (#1), Osaka (#2) and Fukuoka (#5). International destinations on the Japanese list include well-known Asian destinations such as Seoul (#3), Bangkok (#4) and Taipei (#9).
MALAYSIA
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Malaysians are flocking to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the New Year, with the capital city being travelers’ number one choice for the fourth year running.
- Taipei is the second most popular destination for Malaysians to spend New Year’s Eve, and one of only three international destinations in the top ten together with Bangkok (#3) and Tokyo (#9).
- Those staying closer to home to mark the end of the decade will most likely be heading to local tourist favourites such as Kuching (#4), Penang (#5), Langkawi (#6), Genting (#7), Kota Kinabalu (#8) and Malacca (#10).
2019 Top Destinations
- Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia remain as the top three countries for travel among Malaysians.
- Local travelers were busy exploring the country’s many beautiful cities in 2019, with nine out of the top 10 cities being local destinations.
- Bangkok saw a drop in its popularity to the number 10 spot this year, as compared to number 6 in 2018.
PHILIPPINES
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Filipinos are headed to Manila to celebrate the New Year. For the fourth year running, travelers are planning to flock to the capital city of Manual to ushers in the new decade.
- After a hiatus, Boracay Island is back in action and has jumped up the rankings is now the fourth most popular New Year’s Eve travel destinations for Filipinos (as compared to #9 last year).
- When traveling internationally for their New Year’s Eve celebrations, Filipinos choose Asian destinations close to home such as Tokyo (#3), Taipei (#5), Osaka (#7) and Hong Kong (#9).
2019 Top Destinations
- Domestic travel remains as the top travel option for Philippine travelers in 2019 — with local cities dominating first to eighth position, led by Manila (#1) and Cebu (#2).
- After it’s 2018 closure, Boracay Island sprang back into the rankings, emerging as a new entrant on the list at number three.
- Among international destinations, Hong Kong (#9) and Tokyo (#10) were the only cities to enter the ranks.
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Dubai is once again the top spot for Saudis to ring in the new year.
- Destinations in the Arabian Peninsula make up the top four destinations with Mecca (#2), Medina (#3) and Manama (#4) coming in after Dubai.
- More Saudis are traveling further this year with six (London, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Istanbul, Jakarta and Manila) out of the top destinations being a long-haul flight away, as opposed to only three last year.
2019 Top Destinations
- Domestic travel remains as the top travel option for Saudis this year, followed by Bahrain (#2) and United Arab Emirates (#3).
- Similar to last year, Saudi travelers prefer to remain closer to home this year, with 8 out of the top 10 destination cities being a short trip away such as Mecca (#1), Manama (#2) and Medina (#3), among others. Outside of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the top destinations for Saudi travelers are Manila (#8) and Kuala Lumpur (#10).
SOUTH KOREA
New Year’s Eve Travel
- After a brief hiatus in 2018 from its top spot, Seoul is back as the most popular destinations for South Koreans to celebrate the end of the decade. This is followed by Jeju Island and Taipei in the number two and number three spots respectively.
- Last year’s number one Osaka, has slipped off the top 10 list entirely with new entrants for 2019 include Gangneung (#7), Nha Trang (#8), Boracay Island (#9) and Paris (#10).
- At number 10, Paris is the only European destination to feature in the list
2019 Top Destinations
- The top three countries for travel in 2019 include Korea (#1), Japan (#2) and Vietnam (#3).
- Korean travelers prefer to travel to local cities this year — with Seoul, Jeju Island and Busan leading the pack. For international travel, Japan dominates the list, headed by Osaka (#4), Fukuoka (#5) and Tokyo (#6).
- Further down in Southeast Asia, Da Nang (#7) and Bangkok (#8) also make up part of the Korean top 10 list for 2019.
THAILAND
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Chiang Mai and Pattaya both hold on to their number one and number two spots for Thais to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
- Bangkok overtook Tokyo for the number three spot, rising two places from last year.
- Thais are making the most of the natural beauty and experiences offered in their homeland with seven of the top destination choices within Thailand. Top international destinations include Tokyo (#4), Taipei (#8) and Osaka (#9).
2019 Top Destinations
- Thailand and Japan maintain their position as the top two destination countries for Thais to visit in 2019. Vietnam edged out Singapore as the third most popular country to visit.
- Thai travelers’ choices have not changed much since 2018 with the top 10 cities to travel being held primarily held by local destinations including Bangkok (#1), Pattaya (#2) and Chiang Mai (#3). Tokyo also remains in its position as #6 in the list.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Dubai is the most popular destination to celebrate the new year for the fourth year running.
- More people are turning East to celebrate the new year with new destinations such as Goa (#4) and Singapore (#9) entering the top ten list in 2019. Other Asian destinations include Tokyo (#3) and Bangkok (#5).
- Interestingly, London has slipped several places from being the number two destination last year to number seven this year.
2019 Top Destinations
- Similar to last year, UAE travelers continue to prefer domestic travel in 2019 — with the country clinching top spot in the list of top destination choices. The second and third most favoured spots, however, are now taken by new entrants in the list — Philippines (#2) and Thailand (#3) — edging out Saudi Arabia and India.
- Local cities are rising in popularity among UAE travelers — clinching the first to seventh spots, and led by Dubai (#1), Abu Dhabi (#2) and Sharjah (#3). Bangkok, which appeared fourth in 2018, has fallen to eighth place, followed by Manila and Bali — which are both new entrants to the list.
UNITED KINGDOM
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Thailand remains a hot favorite for British travellers, who have chosen Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket as among their top ten cities in which to spend New Year’s Eve.
- However, Pattaya has slipped down the list from number one to number seven as British travelers explore other destinations that the country has to offer.
- Within the United Kingdom, travelers are headed to London (#1), Edinburgh (#4), Chester (#8) and Liverpool (#10) to celebrate the new year.
- Cape Town is a new entrant to this list, shooting right up to be the fifth most popular destination.
2019 Top Destinations
- UK, Thailand and the US remain stable on the British travelers’ list of destination countries — having appeared in the same spot for two years running.
- While European travel remains as a popular option in 2019, more travelers are venturing out to Asia — with Tokyo (#8) being a new destination on the list. This is in addition to Bangkok (#2), Pattaya (#5) and Bali (#6).
UNITED STATES
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Americans’ favorite party city, Las Vegas, holds on to its crown as the top destination to celebrate the new year for the fourth year running. This is followed by New York (#2) and Los Angeles (#3).
- More Americans are heading to Asia for the New Year, with four of the top ten destinations being Asian (as opposed to three last year).
- Manila, the Philippines’ capital, is a new entrant to the list this year coming in as the seventh most popular place to celebrate the new year.
2019 Top Destinations
- Similar to 2018, the US and Japan maintain their top positions as travel destination countries for American travelers. Coming in third place, Philippines bumped? Thailand off the list.
- When looking at the top cities to travel to, domestic destinations make up half of the list — led by Los Angeles in the first place. The other half of the destinations are halfway around the world, in Asia — Tokyo (#2), Bangkok (#4), Manila (#7), Hong Kong (#9) and Bali (#10).
VIETNAM
New Year’s Eve Travel
- Ho Chi Minh City is back as the most popular destination to ring in the new year after having been replaced by Dalat in 2018.
- Interestingly, this year, Dalat is no longer on the list of top ten destinations despite ranking in the top three for the last three years (from 2016 to 2018).
- The top international destinations for Vietnamese travelers are Bangkok (#3), Singapore (#6) and Taipei (#9).
2019 Top Destinations
- Vietnam and Thailand remained as the top destination countries for local travelers, for the second year in a row. This is followed by Japan, which has replaced Singapore as the third most popular destination.
- Vietnamese cities are also by far the most popular among travelers — representing nine out of the top ten list. The only international destination to make the cut is Bangkok, which appears in seventh place.
