In spite of the global tourism slump in 2009, Thailand and the Thai travel and tourism industry continue to win numerous awards and rate highly in survey rankings, a clear indicator of the high level of confidence in the quality of the kingdom’s travel products and services.
Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, TAT Governor said, “The Thai travel and tourism industry is very proud to be consistently recognised thus. Thailand is known the world over for its hospitality, friendly people and excellent service standards, all factors which contribute towards making it one of the most popular global destinations.”
He said that as the Thai travel and tourism industry is quickly recovering from the downturn of last year, “there is no doubt that the continuing improvement of our tourism products and services will see Thailand garnering more honours and awards in 2010.”
A listing of some of the recent awards and rankings:
- Thailand was ranked Number One on the list of “most friendly places for expats to live” by the HSBC bank International’s survey in 2009. It was also rated among the top countries in terms of quality accommodation.
Launched in 2008, the Expat Explorer survey positions itself as “the largest independent global survey of expats.” Commissioned by HSBC Bank International and conducted by a third party research company, the survey covered more than 3,100 expats living in 50 countries about the opportunities and challenges they experience living away from home.
Conducted between February and April 2009, the survey revealed that expats enjoy a better life in their new country, with the majority claiming an increase in the quality of living compared with life back home.
Thailand was one of the best performing locations for expats, ranking third overall. Expats residing in Thailand reported being “more satisfied with their quality of life than the majority of their counterparts elsewhere.” Thailand also rated very favourably in terms of luxury products, when compared with other parts of the world.
- Tourism-Review.com, a travel news gateway for industry professionals, conducted a survey of the Top 10 Country Brands for Friendly Locals. In the survey, Thailand ranked number 4.
Recognising Thailand by its long-held epithet, “The Land of Smiles”, the Tourism-Review.com survey said the kingdom was hailed by respondents for the “warm hospitality and generally happy dispositions of the Thai people.”
It said, “As well as being friendly and welcoming, Thais are known for their incredible sense of humor and lighthearted spirit—qualities that make it easy to make new friends.”
- Thailand was voted the Most Popular Destination in Asia 2009 by users of www.hotelclub.com, an accommodation reservation service provider which claims to have more than 6 million viewers. The website claimed votes were cast by more than 52,000 people.
- Readers of the New York-based Travel + Leisure Magazine, a leading magazine in North America, voted for the World’s Top 50 Hotels and 500 World’s Best Hotels 2010. 19 hotels in Thailand were on the list, as follows:
World’s Top 50 Hotels:
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Four Seasons Tents and Camp in Golden Triangle, ranked no. 7 |
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Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, ranked no.20 |
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Four Season Chiang Mai, ranked no. 21 |
500 World’s Best Hotels:
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Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok |
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The Peninsula Bangkok |
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Le Méridien, Bangkok |
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Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok |
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Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok |
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Dusit Thani Bangkok |
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Conrad Bangkok |
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Banyan Tree Bangkok |
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JW Marriott, Bangkok |
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Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai |
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Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai |
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dusitD2, Chiang Mai |
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Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle |
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Anantara Golden Triangle |
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Anantara Hua Hin |
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Anantara Koh Samui Resort & Spa |
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Le Méridien, Phuket |
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Amanpuri, Phuket |
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JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Phuket |
Travel + Leisure claims to be the world's leading travel magazine with a circulation of almost one million readers.
- Thailand was voted Golf Destination of the Year 2010 for Asia & Australia by The Global Golf Tourism Organisation (IAGTO), the global trade organization with a membership of more than 320 golf tour operators in 47 countries. IAGTO members process more than 80% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide. Each year they vote for those golf destinations that they feel are providing the best golf experience for their clients.
- MATKA Magazine, a leading travel magazine in Finland surveyed 1,000 participants at the MATKA Nordic Travel Fair. The survey results showed that Thailand topped the list of most popular destinations, rated 3rd in terms of being children friendly and quality of food, rated 5th as a popular winter destination, rated 2nd for its natural beauty, and rated 4th as a romantic destination.
- Thailand was named the world's Best Tourist Country by a leading Swedish magazine, the publication “Travel News”, marking the 7th consecutive year it has won the award. The kingdom was voted as this year’s winner. Other countries which followed Thailand on the list included Australia, Egypt, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
The same publication also ranked national flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) in second place for the Best International Flight in 2010.
- Thailand was voted the ‘World’s Best Tourist Country’ in the 2010 Norwegian Grand Travel Award, also the 7th consecutive year that the Thai kingdom has won the award. The award was conferred by Fagbladet Travel News, a leading independent Norwegian travel trade magazine.
Thai Airways International in Norway also won the 2010 Norwegian Grand Travel Award for the best intercontinental airline. This is the sixth consecutive year that Thai Airways in Norway has won this award.
- Thailand was voted the “Best Honeymoon Destination for Spanish Tourists” by The Club of Good Tourism or Club del Buen Turismo. More than 100,000 votes were cast by the Club of Good Tourism’s members who categorise themselves as great enthusiasts of travel and good cuisine. The club has Radio, TV programs and websites with a following of over 200,000 across Spain’s Catalonia states.
In addition, Thailand also won the award of “Best International Stand” at FITUR 2010. At the 157 sqm booth, TAT and 18 Thai tourism operators together presented Thailand under the theme of “Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value” with popular activities such as Thai massage, fruit carving and umbrella painting. This was the 29th year for Thailand to join FITUR 2010.
Contact information:
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org |
