TEHRAN – Tehran comes ninth among the top ten fastest growing destination cities, according to the annual Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index report which released on September 22.

The bustling yet historical Iranian capital has witnessed a growth of 12.98 percent in terms of the international overnight visitor arrivals, ISNA reported on Saterday.

Osaka took the title suggesting that the merchant Japanese city has formed the strongest development in attracting worldwide visitors by 24.15 percent over the last seven years.

Other cities that made the forecasted top ten fastest growing cities include by Chengdu 20.14%, Abu Dhabi by 19.81%, Colombo by 19.57%, Tokyo by 18.48%, Riyadh by 16.45%, Taipei by 14.53%, Xi’an by 14.20%, and Xiamen by 12.93%.

In another statistic, Bangkok topped the chart for 2016 Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index. London, Paris, Dubai, New York, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Seoul are the other rankings from second to tenth, respectively.

The statistics indicate that that Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa have become increasingly important to the global economic landscape.

“The way people travel and spend across borders indicates just how interconnected and important the world’s cities are,” said Ann Cairns, President of International Markets for Mastercard.

“As the planning and experience of the trip become increasingly important, Mastercard is bringing all these pieces together seamlessly through innovation and connections,” she added.

Mastercard based its judgments on figures compiled from 132 most visited cities around the world. The study roughly shows visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 calendar year, yet delivers a profounder insight of how people travel and spend around the world.

AFM/MG