Bangkok Remains Top Tourist Spot

Bangkok remains top tourist spot

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok is by far the most popular Thai destination among foreign tourists, with the majority of foreign visitors reporting an experience exceeding their expectations and a staggering 98.6 percent reporting satisfaction with the capital.

These findings emerged from a random sample of 520 foreign passengers departing from Bangkok's Don Muang Airport on 24 May, conducted by Bangkok Poll.

Thailand's continuing popularity was highlighted by the fact that 38.3 percent of the respondents said that they had visited Thailand more than three times, gaining information on the country from friends, relatives, tour companies, the Internet and the media.

While most of the visitors came to Thailand for rest and relaxation, others came for business or study trips.

Unsurprisingly for a survey conducted at Bangkok's airport, Bangkok was found to be the most popular destination, cited by 85 percent of those questioned.

This was followed by the Pattaya in the East, Phuket in the South, and Chiang Mai in the North.

But the report confirmed what tour operators have long known - that the popularity of Phuket had declined from last year, largely as a result of the December tsunami.

Asked whether their trip to Thailand had met their expectations of the country, a stunning 67 percent said that their visit had been better than expected, up 37 percent from last year.

A mere 1.5 percent said that their visit was worse than their expectations.

And questioned on whether or not they were satisfied with Bangkok, 98.6 percent responded in the affirmative, with only 1.4 percent expressing dissatisfaction.

--TNA 2005-06-11