Awards continue to distinguish Bangkok and other destinations in Thailand, showing the unabated appeal of the Kingdom for international travellers.
BANGKOK- Smart Travel Asia, represented by Ms. Pidichanan Petchngovilai, Regional Advertising Manager, recently presented awards to Bangkok for being ranked as the top of the “2013 Best Holiday Destinations” including other awards to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) represented by Mr. Sugree Sithivanich, Executive Director of the Advertising and Public Relations Division at TAT head office.
From the results of its 2013 Best in Travel Poll, Smart Travel Asia, travel magazine for Asia, which is seen by over a million visitors all over the world, has disclosed that Bangkok has been voted as the best city for holiday destination soaring from the former year’s rank at fifth; moreover, this city captured the fourth place as the “2013 Top Cities for Business”.
“Compared to rival capital cities in other countries of ASEAN, Bangkok is a versatile city, able to capture all the needs of travellers; it can offer a variety of travelling experiences to visitors. For instance, in the heart of this city, you can enjoy shopping and eating out in upscale restaurants in Siam Square and the surrounding area while in the next 30 minutes, you may find a peaceful moment by visiting the temples along the Chao Phraya River. This is the charisma of Bangkok,” said Mr. Sugree Sithivanich.
Ms. Pidichanan Petchngovilai also added that according to the survey, people would rather travel to do business here; however, they increasingly prefer to come for leisure such as shopping- particularly IT items- and also to enjoy nightlife. Moreover, golf and medical packages including spas have become an emerging activity drawing luxury travellers.
Not only Bangkok but also renowned seaside destinations such as Phuket and Koh Samui were a hit on the list. Phuket, the Pearl of the Andaman, was ranked third in the poll while Koj Samui was voted ninth in the 2013 Best Holiday Destination.
Smart Travel Asia’s “2013 BEST IN TRAVEL POLL” runs from May to July 2013, which the poll covers the related travel business: destinations categorised as business and holiday, airports, airlines, cabin crew service, hotel brands, etc. As for the voters’ profile, they annually took average of 12.32 air trips and earned US$ 156,307.
The three most important determinants for the vote were 1) actual use of the product, 2) feedback from friends and colleagues, and 3) visibility of the brand in their browsing space.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
