Agoda.com, one of the world’s fastest growing digital travel platforms, reveals Tokyo, Paris and Las Vegas are the destinations-of-choice in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America for travelers celebrating 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.
Top 2019 New Year’s Eve Destinations (based on Agoda Booking Data)
| Asia Pacific | Europe | North America | |||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | ||
| Tokyo | Tokyo | Paris | Paris | New York (NY) | Las Vegas (NV) | ||
| Bangkok | Taipei | London | London | Las Vegas (NV) | New York (NY) | ||
| Taipei | Bangkok | Barcelona | Rome | Los Angeles (CA) | Los Angeles (CA) | ||
| Seoul | Osaka | Rome | Barcelona | Orlando (FL) | Honolulu (HI) | ||
| Osaka | Seoul | Berlin | Amsterdam | Oahu (HI) | San Francisco (CA) | ||
| Pattaya | Manila | Amsterdam | Berlin | San Francisco (CA) | Orlando (FL) | ||
| Taichung | Chiang Mai | Istanbul | Milan | Chicago (IL) | Toronto (ON) | ||
| Hong Kong | Bali | Prague | Prague | New Orleans (LA) | Miami Beach (FL) | ||
| Bali | Kuala Lumpur | Madrid | Istanbul | Miami (FL) | Vancouver (BC) | ||
| Chiang Mai | Pattaya | Milan | Madrid | Toronto (ON) | Chicago (IL) | ||
Overall Top 2019 Destinations
According to 2019 booking data from Agoda, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia 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.
| Asia Pacific | Top Cities in Europe | Top Cities in
North America |
|||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | ||
| Top Countries | Top Countries | Top Cities | |||||
| Japan | Japan | United Kingdom | France | Las Vegas (NV) | Las Vegas (NV) | ||
| Thailand | Thailand | Italy | United Kingdom | Los Angeles (CA) | New York (NY) | ||
| Malaysia | Malaysia | France | Italy | New York (NY) | Los Angeles (CA) | ||
| Top Cities | Top Cities | Orlando (FL) | San Francisco (CA) | ||||
| Bangkok | Bangkok | London | Paris | San Francisco (CA) | Honolulu (HI) | ||
| Tokyo | Kuala Lumpur | Paris | London | Chicago (IL) | Orlando (FL) | ||
| Kuala Lumpur | Tokyo | Rome | Rome | Phoenix (AZ) | Chicago (IL) | ||
| Hong Kong | Taipei | Barcelona | Istanbul | Houston (TX) | Seattle (WA) | ||
| Osaka | Seoul | Istanbul | Barcelona | Oahu (HI) | Toronto (ON) | ||
| Taipei | Osaka | Amsterdam | Amsterdam | San Diego (CA) | San Diego (CA) | ||
| Seoul | Hong Kong | Milan | Milan | ||||
| Singapore | Manila | Madrid | Berlin | ||||
| Bali | Singapore | Venice | Prague | ||||
| Pattaya | Bali | Prague | Madrid | ||||
Where are Malaysians headed to ring in the New Year?
- 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).
| Malaysia: Top New Year Destinations 2019 |
| Kuala Lumpur |
| Taipei |
| Bangkok |
| Kuching |
| Penang |
| Langkawi |
| Genting |
| Kota Kinabalu |
| Tokyo |
| Malacca |
2019 Top Destinations for Malaysian Travellers
- 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.
| Malaysia: Top Destinations | |
| 2018 | 2019 |
| Top Countries | |
| Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Thailand | Thailand |
| Indonesia | Indonesia |
| Top Cities | |
| Kuala Lumpur | Kuala Lumpur |
| Penang | Penang |
| Malacca | Malacca |
| Johor Bahru | Johor Bahru |
| Kota Kinabalu | Kota Kinabalu |
| Bangkok | Ipoh |
| Ipoh | Kuantan |
| Cameron Highlands | Kuching |
| Kuching | Cameron Highlands |
| Kuantan | Bangkok |
