TOURISM

Chiang Mai among top global destinations

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Chiang Mai becomes the only Thai tourist destination that is voted one of top 25 global destinations by worldwide travellers.

Under the TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Travellers’ Choice World Destinations, it is put among world-class destinations like London, New York and Istanbul.

Chiang Mai is also voted as one of top 25 destinations in Asia. Included are two more Thai destinations - Koh Phi Phi Don in Krabi and Koh Tao in Surat Thani.

The Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined based on the popularity of destinations, taking into account travellers’ favorites and most highly rated places.

Claiming to be the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 69 million unique monthly visitors.

Full lists of the destinations are below.

Top 25 Travellers’ Choice World Destinations

1. London, England

2. New York City, New York

3. Rome, Italy

4. Paris, France

5. San Francisco, California

6. Marrakech, Morocco

7. Istanbul, Turkey

8. Barcelona, Spain

9. Siem Reap, Cambodia

10. Berlin, Germany

11. Chicago, Illinois

12. Florence, Italy

13. Buenos Aires, Argentina

14. Sydney, Australia

15. Beijing, China

16. Prague, Czech Republic

17. Las Vegas, Nevada

18. Bora Bora, French Polynesia

19. Shanghai, China

20. Honolulu, Hawaii

21. Los Angeles, California

22. New Orleans, Louisiana

23. Cape Town, South Africa

24. Chiang Mai, Thailand

25. Dublin, Ireland

Top 25 Travellers’ Choice Asia Destinations:

1. Siem Reap, Cambodia

2. Beijing, China

3. Shanghai, China

4. Chiang Mai, Thailand

5. Male, Maldives

6. Goa, India

7. Boracay, Philippines

8. Hong Kong, China

9. Hanoi, Vietnam

10. Kathmandu, Nepal

11. Kyoto, Japan

12. Tokyo, Japan

13. Singapore

14. Ubud, Indonesia

15. Hoi An, Vietnam

16. Luang Prabang, Laos

17. Xi’an, China

18. Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand

19. Taipei, Taiwan

20. Koh Tao, Thailand

21. Seoul, South Korea

22. Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam

23. New Delhi, India

24. Varanasi, India

25. Halong Bay, Vietnam

-- The Nation 2012-05-03

Was hoping they could keep it a secret for a few more years.

Siam Reap?

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

Siem Reap - The Defeat of Siam. (Is this correct?)

It must be the health restoring qualities of the air I guess.

Ridiculous. Where's Pattaya?

It must be the health restoring qualities of the air I guess.

Don't think you've quite got the gist of the poll, old chap!..... though I musty admit living in CM I am a bit surprised myself at where it showed.

Can only put it down to the wonderful people who live here!

Edited May 3, 201214 yr by bigbamboo

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

yes and?

I know maybe a handful people who know Angkor Wat and I know a thousand who love Pataya and come there every year. (more the lonely males)

So I doubt that statistic.

It must be the health restoring qualities of the air I guess.

For once GK and I agree on something.......I lived there 6 years, got tired of the bad air, and left. The running joke if you lived in Chiang Mai was why all the tourists would come to the city. Famous Night Market ??? :-)

Certainly the countryside surrounding Chiang Mai was fantastic however....

Ridiculous. Where's Pattaya?

I believe it is somewhere south of Bangkok along the eastern seaboard. The place has its admirerers and it does have many activity options, but most people find it rather unpleasant. Yet these days I actually hear more negative comments regarding Samui, Thailand's true Paradise :Lost.

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

yes and?

I know maybe a handful people who know Angkor Wat and I know a thousand who love Pataya and come there every year. (more the lonely males)

So I doubt that statistic.

This poll was organised by the world's largest travel website and the accent is on 'travellers'.

If it had been a poll organised by expats sitting in bars no doubt Pattaya would have scored higher.

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

yes and?

I know maybe a handful people who know Angkor Wat and I know a thousand who love Pataya and come there every year. (more the lonely males)

So I doubt that statistic.

Sounds like you know a top quality group of people

If you look at the destinations on the list, you will see some

great locations that offer great experiences to the tourists.

What does pattaya have to offer?

what a ridiculous survey......

how can you possibly compare Bora Bora with London

or Boracay with Beijing

??

If you don't know now you never will an answer to =What has Pattaya got to offer

Edited May 3, 201214 yr by ginjag

If you don't know now you never will

????

Georgy, my post got squeezed out, the answer was to the post before yours---sorry

After 4 years living there it got boring to tell the truth..Rain 9 months a year and very dirty air made me look for another place..

Ridiculous. Where's Pattaya?

Somewhere in Moscow, isn't it?

-mel.

Now it's world traveler showoff time.

How many of the top world 25 have you been to? (17 of 25)

How many have you lived in as a resident? 3

Edited May 3, 201214 yr by Jingthing

<p>But another article says that Pattaya is the "role model" of Thailand...How can this be...? Hmmmmmmm

Ridiculous. Where's Pattaya?

I think it's down the list, near iraq and afghanistan

Edited May 3, 201214 yr by nurofiend

Ridiculous. Where's Pattaya?

Somewhere in Moscow, isn't it?

-mel.

Some of us wish Mel...

Was hoping they could keep it a secret for a few more years.

finally conformation that CM beats BKK

Now it's world traveler showoff time.

How many of the top world 25 have you been to? (17 of 25)

How many have you lived in as a resident? 3

14 of 25 for me...

Siam Reap?

Siem Reap of Angkor Wat fame

yes and?

I know maybe a handful people who know Angkor Wat and I know a thousand who love Pataya and come there every year. (more the lonely males)

So I doubt that statistic.

Sounds like you know a top quality group of people

If you look at the destinations on the list, you will see some

great locations that offer great experiences to the tourists.

What does pattaya have to offer?

Pattaya offers polluted beaches and bad whores that have been had every year by the same "lonely males"...Yeah...Nice place you have there...and it was called a "roll model" for what may I ask...?

Now it's world traveler showoff time.

How many of the top world 25 have you been to? (17 of 25)

How many have you lived in as a resident? 3

14 of 25 for me...

exact same here!

lived in 4, still live in 2

what a ridiculous survey......

how can you possibly compare Bora Bora with London

or Boracay with Beijing

??

They didn't compare them it was just a list made up of the number of people who book flights with them.

It was made up in the order of the most to the least.

Now it's world traveler showoff time.

How many of the top world 25 have you been to? (17 of 25)

How many have you lived in as a resident? 3

14 of 25 for me...

exact same here!

lived in 4, still live in 2

13 and 6 for me.

they bypass Bangkok? ( or forgot to mention it?)