Surprise! Manila Enters Top 10 List of Most Popular Asia Pacific Cities to Welcome New Year

Manila isn’t generally thought of as a big holiday destination, at least, not compared to other big, much more cosmopolitan cities in the region like Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Bangkok. This year, though, the Philippine capital made it to the list of top destinations in Asia Pacific where travelers plan to spend New Year’s Eve. 

According to travel platform Agoda.com, Manila is the sixth most popular destination to ring in the New Year in the region based on booking data. It trails number one Tokyo, which also took the top spot last year, followed by Taipei (number 2), Bangkok (number 3), Osaka (number 4), and Seoul (number 5).

After Manila, the rest of the top 10 includes Chiang Mai, Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Pattaya.

Compared to the list last year, Manila and Kuala Lumpur are the newcomers to the list, edging out Taichung in Taiwan and Hong Kong. No doubt the recent unrest affected the plans of holidaymakers planning to spend the new year in the Chinese territory.

Elsewhere in the world, Paris topped the list for most popular city to celebrate 2020 in Europe, while Las Vegas dislodged New York in North America.

Here in the Philippines, Manila is still the top destination for people all over the country to welcome the new decade, followed by Cebu and, surprisingly, Tokyo.

Boracay climbed up the rankings to land at number four, followed by Taipei, Tagaytay, Osaka, Baguio, Hong Kong, and Subic.

Where are YOU spending New Year’s Eve?