Thailand Ranks One Of The Most Popular Destinations For Brits

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Thailand ranks one of the most popular destinations for Brits

The Nation

Thailand remains the hottest Asian destination for British tourists but Vietnam and the Philippines are catching up, the Travel Trend 2012 report by Skyscanners reveals.

The study suggests that Vietnam's tourism will rise further thanks to the launch of the first direct flight by Vietnam Airlines to and from London Gatwick to Ho Chi Minh City in December.

Despite a number of undesirable factors including political unrest and floods in recent years, Thailand's capital Bangkok was also the most popular Asian city for Brits, with the Thai capital rising one position up to eighth place compared to 2010. In the country ranking, Thailand rose by one position to 13th.

The findings are part of its Travel Trends 2012 report, which is based on user flight searches. Coming in second is the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy and France.

For top-searched-for cities and resorts from the UK in which Bangkok was ranked eighth, the top five are Malaga, Alicante, Tenerife, New York and Palma.

Over in Asia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan top the charts in terms of growth in interest, followed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia.

In the big picture, Spain remains the top destination for British travellers, leading the list of country searches while snagging four of the top five city and resort searches, says Skyscanner. Following Spain, Britons' top five popular destinations are the United States, United Kingdom, Italy and France respectively.

For the full report, visit Skyscanner.net.

-- The Nation 2012-01-10

[Orac]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

[theblether]

860,000 British tourists a year or thereabouts, thats a lot of spending power. Apparently ( so I read somewhere ) there are 35,000 Brits resident in Thailand, I think thats an understatement, I reckon that amount are in Pattaya alone.

[BookMan]

"The findings are part of its Travel Trends 2012 report, which is based on user flight searches. Coming in second is the United States, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy and France."

User flight searches? So dreams are counted as final destinations?

[bigbamboo]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

If it wasn't for the often lousy summer weather a lot more Brits would holiday in the UK.

[FalangBaa]

How anyone can compare a well-developed, pleasant, cosmopolitan and even sophisticated city like Bangkok to a sprawling trainwreck of a city like Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is beyond me... Ho Chi Minh is a cheap place to go to get a Thai visa, but after 1 or 2 nights in that city I'm desperate to get back to Bangkok! Vietnamese cities are filthy, chaotic, overcrowded and riddled with scammers, counterfeiters and rip-off merchants. You cannot even believe whether the so-called brand-name stores selling expensive imported goods are genuine or not... As for the Philippines, if you want to see what the REAL Third World looks like, it's basically no different to dozens of African countries. Thailand is looking decidedly civilized and sophisticated and, dare I say, affluent, next to neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines!

Edited January 10, 2012 by FalangBaa

[FalangBaa]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

If it wasn't for the often lousy summer weather a lot more Brits would holiday in the UK.

How's that? A decent hotel in the UK will set you back at least 100 pounds a night, or 200 pounds in London, a decent dinner for two with drinks 50 pounds... In Thailand, a decent hotel in Bangkok can be had for 30-40 pounds a night, a dinner for two with drinks for well under 20 pounds... It isn't just the weather!

[bigbamboo]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

If it wasn't for the often lousy summer weather a lot more Brits would holiday in the UK.

How's that? A decent hotel in the UK will set you back at least 100 pounds a night, or 200 pounds in London, a decent dinner for two with drinks 50 pounds... In Thailand, a decent hotel in Bangkok can be had for 30-40 pounds a night, a dinner for two with drinks for well under 20 pounds... It isn't just the weather!

Most people don't holiday in London. And there's no expensive air fare, no long distance travelling, no ants, no mosquitoes, no dodgy food or water, no language problems, no scammers, clean air, clean countryside, less traffic, long summer evenings etc., etc.,

[tolsti]

How anyone can compare a well-developed, pleasant, cosmopolitan and even sophisticated city like Bangkok to a sprawling trainwreck of a city like Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is beyond me... Ho Chi Minh is a cheap place to go to get a Thai visa, but after 1 or 2 nights in that city I'm desperate to get back to Bangkok! Vietnamese cities are filthy, chaotic, overcrowded and riddled with scammers, counterfeiters and rip-off merchants. You cannot even believe whether the so-called brand-name stores selling expensive imported goods are genuine or not... As for the Philippines, if you want to see what the REAL Third World looks like, it's basically no different to dozens of African countries. Thailand is looking decidedly civilized and sophisticated and, dare I say, affluent, next to neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines!

Sounds like Phuket to me.

[nong38]

Most retired members of the SAS and SBS seem to have found their new homes in Pattaya as well if you belive all you hear in the bars there!

[champken]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

If it wasn't for the often lousy summer weather a lot more Brits would holiday in the UK.

How's that? A decent hotel in the UK will set you back at least 100 pounds a night, or 200 pounds in London, a decent dinner for two with drinks 50 pounds... In Thailand, a decent hotel in Bangkok can be had for 30-40 pounds a night, a dinner for two with drinks for well under 20 pounds... It isn't just the weather!

Yeah !! and it isnt just the hotels and dinners is it ?

[IsaanUSA]

How anyone can compare a well-developed, pleasant, cosmopolitan and even sophisticated city like Bangkok to a sprawling trainwreck of a city like Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is beyond me... Ho Chi Minh is a cheap place to go to get a Thai visa, but after 1 or 2 nights in that city I'm desperate to get back to Bangkok!

I'm not British, but I have enjoyed my trips to Vietnam. Saigon (HCMC) is much more interesting than Hanoi though. Nha Trang was fantastic and just an overnight train away from Saigon (HCMC). I plan on going back to Vietnam and Cambodia in the very near future.

I do agree that HCMC is dirtier than Bangkok and the scam/rip-off artists are much more plentiful in Vietnam. I do not advise people to visit Vietnam on their first trip to Asia.

Edited January 10, 2012 by IsaanUSA

[jayceebee]

^{Can't wait to get back to Thailand for another holiday, there were some great deals in April with Etihad. Travel is my thing and it's so cheap to get around the country. London is a filthy, nasty, awful, overated place, no way would I holiday there again.}

[WilliaminBKK]

I would like to know where they got their stats, is that bookings they did ? If they are getting their numbers from the Government via arrival/departure forms the survey is flawed for the Philippines, they count foreign arrivals based on the country of residence not passport, meaning all of the workers in the UK that are returning for annual leave would be counted as British.

[LennyW]

Most people don't holiday in London. And there's no expensive air fare, no long distance travelling, no ants, no mosquitoes, no dodgy food or water, no language problems, no scammers, clean air, clean countryside, less traffic, long summer evenings etc., etc.,

I guess you have never encounter'd the Scottish midge (pronounced.. mid-gee.. then????? you will be looking for a swarm of mosquitoes to take the edge of the pain!!!

[Ricardo]

I would like to know where they got their stats, is that bookings they did ? If they are getting their numbers from the Government via arrival/departure forms the survey is flawed for the Philippines, they count foreign arrivals based on the country of residence not passport, meaning all of the workers in the UK that are returning for annual leave would be counted as British.

Given that Skyscanner.com is a very-popular fares-comparison web-site, I'd have thought they would surely be basing their observations, on searches made with themselves ?

[blackthorn2005]

I would like to know where they got their stats, is that bookings they did ? If they are getting their numbers from the Government via arrival/departure forms the survey is flawed for the Philippines, they count foreign arrivals based on the country of residence not passport, meaning all of the workers in the UK that are returning for annual leave would be counted as British.

"The findings are part of its Travel Trends 2012 report, which is based on user flight searches" Another useless article about a useless survey.

[bigbamboo]

Most people don't holiday in London. And there's no expensive air fare, no long distance travelling, no ants, no mosquitoes, no dodgy food or water, no language problems, no scammers, clean air, clean countryside, less traffic, long summer evenings etc., etc.,

I guess you have never encounter'd the Scottish midge (pronounced.. mid-gee.. then????? you will be looking for a swarm of mosquitoes to take the edge of the pain!!!

Touche! But no one in their right mind would ever go to Scotland anyway other than to play golf or go on a tour of the distilleries!

[Evilbaz]

It's a good place for Brides too for Poms.

And they reckon Aussies are a soft touch!!

Great Britain now the most popular for Thai Brides

Tuesday 29th March 2011 8:01pm

It has emerged that the United Kingdom is the No.1 choice for Thai women who continue to marry UK men in increasing numbers.

Figures released by the Thai government for the Bangkok area in 2010 show that there were nearly three times as many marriages between Thai women and UK nationals than the nearest country which turned out to be the USA.

This comes as the growing numbers of Thai brides traveling to Britain is beginning to produce a reaction which is has both positive and negative implications for the future of the trend. The old concept of Thai mail bride has now being replaced by Thai women using the internet to open up the world and opportunities. In Britain, Thai women are increasingly being integrated into the UK community and countering the negative stereo types which are still very strong. More community groups are being set up by Thai women even in Scotland where there is now a growing Thai community in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Thai women are proving themselves here in the UK where, you have to say, British people have always been fair minded and willing to give a chance to those who work hard,' says Thanit Chomphra who is married to a building contactor in Manchester. In Manchester in 2010 a hit Theater production featured a Thai wife as the heroine in a comedy reminiscent of the British Carry on movies of the 1960's and 70's. the show, aptly titled Thai Brides and Tea Cakes.

The boom in UK men seeking Thai Brides means that there are now as many as 100 couples each week get married either in Thailand or the UK. The United Kingdom's embassy in Bangkok is one of the busiest in the world handling over 700,000 visits every year. It ha also emerged that the extent of the phenomenon of UK men who opt to marry a Thai bride or seek a Thai life partner is increasing, with many men from the United Kingdom now opting to live in Thailand. The other emerging trend is that younger UK men have Thai girlfriends on a long term basis. One UK mother recently expressed concern that her 25 year old son, an internet executive with a stable job in the United Kingdom, had brought his Thai girlfriend from Pattaya home for the second time and as planning to settle down with her.

[NxaiPan]

How anyone can compare a well-developed, pleasant, cosmopolitan and even sophisticated city like Bangkok to a sprawling trainwreck of a city like Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is beyond me... Ho Chi Minh is a cheap place to go to get a Thai visa, but after 1 or 2 nights in that city I'm desperate to get back to Bangkok! Vietnamese cities are filthy, chaotic, overcrowded and riddled with scammers, counterfeiters and rip-off merchants. You cannot even believe whether the so-called brand-name stores selling expensive imported goods are genuine or not... As for the Philippines, if you want to see what the REAL Third World looks like, it's basically no different to dozens of African countries. Thailand is looking decidedly civilized and sophisticated and, dare I say, affluent, next to neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines!

You are confusing places to live and places to holiday.

Bangkok is probably a better place to live than HCM as it has moved on in terms of modernity but sadly at the expense of much of its Asian heritage and quaintness (horrible concept), 2 aspects that appeal to many non-sex tourists.

Thailand is a great place to be based but for a more "authentic" Asian stereotype vacation, there are now better options throughout the ASEAN region in almost every aspect of tourism (dining, beaches, wildlife, antiquities, trekking, shopping etc)

[bigbamboo]

It's a good place for Brides too for Poms.

And they reckon Aussies are a soft touch!!

Great Britain now the most popular for Thai Brides

Tuesday 29th March 2011 8:01pm

It has emerged that the United Kingdom is the No.1 choice for Thai women who continue to marry UK men in increasing numbers.

Figures released by the Thai government for the Bangkok area in 2010 show that there were nearly three times as many marriages between Thai women and UK nationals than the nearest country which turned out to be the USA.

This comes as the growing numbers of Thai brides traveling to Britain is beginning to produce a reaction which is has both positive and negative implications for the future of the trend. The old concept of Thai mail bride has now being replaced by Thai women using the internet to open up the world and opportunities. In Britain, Thai women are increasingly being integrated into the UK community and countering the negative stereo types which are still very strong. More community groups are being set up by Thai women even in Scotland where there is now a growing Thai community in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Thai women are proving themselves here in the UK where, you have to say, British people have always been fair minded and willing to give a chance to those who work hard,' says Thanit Chomphra who is married to a building contactor in Manchester. In Manchester in 2010 a hit Theater production featured a Thai wife as the heroine in a comedy reminiscent of the British Carry on movies of the 1960's and 70's. the show, aptly titled Thai Brides and Tea Cakes.

The boom in UK men seeking Thai Brides means that there are now as many as 100 couples each week get married either in Thailand or the UK. The United Kingdom's embassy in Bangkok is one of the busiest in the world handling over 700,000 visits every year. It ha also emerged that the extent of the phenomenon of UK men who opt to marry a Thai bride or seek a Thai life partner is increasing, with many men from the United Kingdom now opting to live in Thailand. The other emerging trend is that younger UK men have Thai girlfriends on a long term basis. One UK mother recently expressed concern that her 25 year old son, an internet executive with a stable job in the United Kingdom, had brought his Thai girlfriend from Pattaya home for the second time and as planning to settle down with her.

I guess it just confirms that women the world over prefer British men. And who can blame them!

[1bbcd5]

Thank you. I thought I was the only one.

[lumply]

So the third most popular travel destination for British travellers is the United Kingdom - hmmm.

Could they be expats returning for a short visit? Probably not actually, the number is too high

[Evilbaz]

It's a good place for Brides too for Poms.

And they reckon Aussies are a soft touch!!

Great Britain now the most popular for Thai Brides

Tuesday 29th March 2011 8:01pm

It has emerged that the United Kingdom is the No.1 choice for Thai women who continue to marry UK men in increasing numbers.

Figures released by the Thai government for the Bangkok area in 2010 show that there were nearly three times as many marriages between Thai women and UK nationals than the nearest country which turned out to be the USA.

This comes as the growing numbers of Thai brides traveling to Britain is beginning to produce a reaction which is has both positive and negative implications for the future of the trend. The old concept of Thai mail bride has now being replaced by Thai women using the internet to open up the world and opportunities. In Britain, Thai women are increasingly being integrated into the UK community and countering the negative stereo types which are still very strong. More community groups are being set up by Thai women even in Scotland where there is now a growing Thai community in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Thai women are proving themselves here in the UK where, you have to say, British people have always been fair minded and willing to give a chance to those who work hard,' says Thanit Chomphra who is married to a building contactor in Manchester. In Manchester in 2010 a hit Theater production featured a Thai wife as the heroine in a comedy reminiscent of the British Carry on movies of the 1960's and 70's. the show, aptly titled Thai Brides and Tea Cakes.

The boom in UK men seeking Thai Brides means that there are now as many as 100 couples each week get married either in Thailand or the UK. The United Kingdom's embassy in Bangkok is one of the busiest in the world handling over 700,000 visits every year. It ha also emerged that the extent of the phenomenon of UK men who opt to marry a Thai bride or seek a Thai life partner is increasing, with many men from the United Kingdom now opting to live in Thailand. The other emerging trend is that younger UK men have Thai girlfriends on a long term basis. One UK mother recently expressed concern that her 25 year old son, an internet executive with a stable job in the United Kingdom, had brought his Thai girlfriend from Pattaya home for the second time and as planning to settle down with her.

I guess it just confirms that women the world over prefer British men. And who can blame them!

Is that because they are so successful at marriage?

[2unique]

One UK mother recently expressed concern that her 25 year old son, an internet executive with a stable job in the United Kingdom, had brought his Thai girlfriend from Pattaya home for the second time and as planning to settle down with her.

Wait till she googles Pattaya!

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[JulesMad]

It's a good place for Brides too for Poms.

And they reckon Aussies are a soft touch!!

Great Britain now the most popular for Thai Brides

Tuesday 29th March 2011 8:01pm

It has emerged that the United Kingdom is the No.1 choice for Thai women who continue to marry UK men in increasing numbers.

Figures released by the Thai government for the Bangkok area in 2010 show that there were nearly three times as many marriages between Thai women and UK nationals than the nearest country which turned out to be the USA.

This comes as the growing numbers of Thai brides traveling to Britain is beginning to produce a reaction which is has both positive and negative implications for the future of the trend. The old concept of Thai mail bride has now being replaced by Thai women using the internet to open up the world and opportunities. In Britain, Thai women are increasingly being integrated into the UK community and countering the negative stereo types which are still very strong. More community groups are being set up by Thai women even in Scotland where there is now a growing Thai community in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Thai women are proving themselves here in the UK where, you have to say, British people have always been fair minded and willing to give a chance to those who work hard,' says Thanit Chomphra who is married to a building contactor in Manchester. In Manchester in 2010 a hit Theater production featured a Thai wife as the heroine in a comedy reminiscent of the British Carry on movies of the 1960's and 70's. the show, aptly titled Thai Brides and Tea Cakes.

The boom in UK men seeking Thai Brides means that there are now as many as 100 couples each week get married either in Thailand or the UK. The United Kingdom's embassy in Bangkok is one of the busiest in the world handling over 700,000 visits every year. It ha also emerged that the extent of the phenomenon of UK men who opt to marry a Thai bride or seek a Thai life partner is increasing, with many men from the United Kingdom now opting to live in Thailand. The other emerging trend is that younger UK men have Thai girlfriends on a long term basis. One UK mother recently expressed concern that her 25 year old son, an internet executive with a stable job in the United Kingdom, had brought his Thai girlfriend from Pattaya home for the second time and as planning to settle down with her.

I guess it just confirms that women the world over prefer British men. And who can blame them!

Is that because they are so successful at marriage?

No, it is because British men are stupid enough to believe what the Thai women tell them

[khaowong1]

Well yeah, but wer'e talking about Brits here. Heck, most Brits I know would charter an airplane to go watch a monkey <deleted> a football. Just saying. :-)

[anterian]

Most people don't holiday in London. And there's no expensive air fare, no long distance travelling, no ants, no mosquitoes, no dodgy food or water, no language problems, no scammers, clean air, clean countryside, less traffic, long summer evenings etc., etc.,

I guess you have never encounter'd the Scottish midge (pronounced.. mid-gee.. then????? you will be looking for a swarm of mosquitoes to take the edge of the pain!!!

So avoid Skye and stick to the highlands, if you must go to Skye stick a sprig of heather in your bonnet.

[blazes]

How anyone can compare a well-developed, pleasant, cosmopolitan and even sophisticated city like Bangkok to a sprawling trainwreck of a city like Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is beyond me... Ho Chi Minh is a cheap place to go to get a Thai visa, but after 1 or 2 nights in that city I'm desperate to get back to Bangkok! Vietnamese cities are filthy, chaotic, overcrowded and riddled with scammers, counterfeiters and rip-off merchants. You cannot even believe whether the so-called brand-name stores selling expensive imported goods are genuine or not... As for the Philippines, if you want to see what the REAL Third World looks like, it's basically no different to dozens of African countries. Thailand is looking decidedly civilized and sophisticated and, dare I say, affluent, next to neighbours like Vietnam and the Philippines!

"Pleasant"??? "well-developed?" ....what planet are you coming in from, mate?

[Ricardo]

I guess it just confirms that women the world over prefer British men. And who can blame them!

I guess that quality will win out !

But to get (slightly) more serious about this, I have a theory to explain the relatively-strong connection, between the two realms.

Looking back (to the Good Old Days) 20-30 years, many British publicans would come out to Pattaya, for a fun-filled/sunny off-season winter-break, and this naturally led to a steady flow of Thai-brides back to the UK. Where the tiraks wanted to earn a few quid, to send home to Mama, so would start to cook spicy Thai-food to sell at lunch-times in their husbands pubs, where the men soon realised that hot/spicy food makes their customers more-thirsty, thus welcomed this and Thai-food became very popular there !

Don't forget that curry (whether Indian, Bangladeshi, Malaysian, Thai or whatever) has replaced fish-and-chips as the UK's National-Dish in recent years !

Hence today Thai restaurants are found in just about every British town, and Britons are familiar with the food and culture, more so than for most S.E.Asian countries. And most Britons know a Thai/Anglo couple/family, and would consider Thailand a relatively-friendly/affordable/safe place to go, for a sun-and-sand winter-holiday !

Quod Erat Demonstrandum !