Growth in Asia and the Pacific averaged 7%, following the exceptional post-SARS rebound in 2004 (+27%). North-East Asia (+10%) emerged as the most dynamic subregion with the strongest performers being Taiwan (pr. of China) (+15% Jan-Oct), China (+13% Jan-Nov) and Japan (+9% Jan-Nov). In South-East Asia (+4%), Oceania (+4%) and South Asia (+4%), results overall were more modest and above all rather mixed. Cambodia (+35% Jan-Nov), Lao PDR (+27% Jan-Sep), Vietnam (+18%), the Philippines (+14% Jan-Oct) and India (+13%) nevertheless managed to report remarkable growth. Among the countries affected by the December 2004 tsunami tragedy, the Maldives reported a 39% decrease up to November although the rate of decline has eased in the last months. Arrivals to Indonesia were down by nearly 9%, as the country suffered also from the October Bali bombing. Sri Lanka reported only a slight 0.4% drop, although this result may in part be attributed to the large number of Sri Lankan expatriates who visited the country in the aftermath of the tsunami and to the flow of aid workers. As for Thailand, although overall data up to June shows a 6% decline, arrivals at the Bangkok airport registered 4% growth in the period through October.

In the Americas, growth reached 6% with North America (+4%) and the Caribbean (+5%) slightly below the regional average. Of the major destinations, the United States continued the recovery started in 2004 (+8% Jan-Sep), while Mexico (+8% Jan-Nov) and Cuba (+13% Jan-Nov) still showed above-average increases, even after having suffered the impact of last year’s devastating hurricanes. Destinations in Central America (+14%) and South America (+13%), on the other hand, can look back on a very positive year. The strongest growth was reported by Venezuela (+23%) and Colombia (+22%), while Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all recorded, or were on their way to record, growth rates of between 10 -20%.