Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is the world's fourth fastest-growing destination for international visitors, the 2016 Mastercard Global Destinations Cities Index said on Saturday.

The index, which projects the number of tourists staying in 132 of the most popular cities worldwide, said that Colombo will see a 19.57 percent increase in foreign arrivals this year.

Mastercard's latest list showed the growing international significance of Asia, as seven of the 10 most-visited cities in the world are in the continent, with five of those located in East or Southeast Asia.

Bangkok is the world's most popular destination and is projected to welcome over 21 million international overnight travelers.

The top four cities, according to the Index are, Osaka which will grow at 24.15 percent, Chengdu at 20.14 percent, Abu Dhabi at 19.81 percent and Colombo at 19.57 percent.