World's Best City Award presented to Bangkok governor in New York

[webfact]

World's Best City Award presented to Bangkok governor in NYC

NEW YORK (NNT) - Bangkok has been selected as the “World’s Best City” by Travel & Leisure magazine for the fourth consecutive year.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra travelled to New York, the United States to receive the award in person on July 18 from the magazine publishers. At the award presentation show, he publicly thanked Bangkok residents and related agencies for contributing to Bangkok’s unique qualities and attractiveness.

He further promised to continue to gather feedback from tourists visiting the capital in order to further facilitate new influxes of visitors each year.

The No. 1 ranking in the magazine's top 10 cities list was based on a poll of readers who cast votes from December to April to rate their favorite cities.

Bangkok topped the list with a score of 90.42% for the fourth year running, followed by Istanbul at 89.96% and Florence at 89.84%.


-- NNT 2013-07-20

[webfact]

Bangkok is 'World's Best' for 4th year
The Nation


Tourists sightseeing at Wat Phra Kaew, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, inside the Grand Palace. Bangkok has been honoured for the fourth consecutive year as the World's best city

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok has won the "World's Best City Award 2013" organised by Travel and Leisure magazine for the fourth consecutive year.

The 10-country ranking by travellers gave Bangkok 90.40 per cent votes, followed by Istanbul, 89.96 per cent and Florence 89.84 per cent.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra yesterday received the award from the magazine's editors at a ceremony in New York, where the magazine is based.

Bangkok also received the "Best City in Asia" award from Travel and Leisure for the seventh time - from 2005 to 2013, with the exception of 2009.

The top-10 table this year also sees Chiang Mai ranked at 10th, receiving 88.15 per cent of votes, after Cape Town, Kyoto, Rome, Charleston in South Carolina, Barcelona and Paris.

The criteria used for the rankings were: tourist attractions; culture and customs; food hygiene and taste; and shopping availability; hospitality; monetary worthiness.

In his statement, Sukhumbhand thanked all Bangkokians and relevant government agencies for the recognition, adding that all road and other signs would be made bilingual and public safety would be boosted as an assurance to foreign and Thai tourists.

He said all agencies under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration had been instructed to visit English-language websites containing feedback or complaints from foreign tourists to look into them and correct the problems.

Sukhumbhand said defending the top position would not be a priority apart from maintaining high standards of the BMA's public service, which also focused on security, life quality, food and hygiene.


-- The Nation 2013-07-20

[PaullyW]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

Edited July 19, 2013 by PaullyW

[chiang mai]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

And why do you think it is not?

[hanno]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

[chiang mai]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

[theblether]

Remind me to never buy Travel & Leisure magazine, what a load of crap.

To make it even worse the Thai swill start to believe it.

Gawd, no.

[theblether]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

How about mere BKK bashers? will that please you? There's more to see and do within one square mile of London than the entirety of Bangkok. That's never mind the superb city of Sydney.

BKK is a concrete jungle, a horrible place that's lost it's soul.

[jaidam]

If they can get the cannibalism under better control Port Moresby is in for a real chance next year.

[frankold]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

[theblether]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

Please note the users name that made that comment

My Facebook feed was jammed last night with people complaining about gridlock in BKK. They're needing to quadruple the amount of train lines and double the cost of fuel to get all the cars off the road.

[frankold]

Or perhaps giving tax incentives to first time buyers might improve the situation?

[laurentbkk]

Could be interested to know under what criteria this world best city is elected ...... Shopping restaurant cinemas etc ... you can find this in every large cities ... heavy traffic jam, pollution, lack of public light, broken pavement etc .... that is Bangkok today ... dont get me wrong I still like bangkok with all the negative point ... just would like to understand how for the 4th year it has been world best city .

[chiang mai]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

Please note the users name that made that comment

And please note the users name that made that one!

[Payboy]

I think it should be made mandatory that respondents to such surveys are only those that've actually visited the city they vote.

[PaullyW]

Well I imagine it's up to each individual to decide what means world class to him or her.

For me, world class cities have some combination of several factors which are not always easy to communicate.

Infrastructure

Bangkok has terrible infrastructure.

The Skytrain and MRT goes to only extremely limited number of places. In the original plans, there were supposed to be 12 lines on the skytrain by now - not 2. Pathetic.

The roads are terrible for driving, with horrific design (u turns in the middle of high speed highways) and are dangerous as nearly anywhere else in the world.

Walking anywhere in Bangkok is nearly impossible. First, it's hit as hell which you can only blame on nature. But, where are all the trees for shade and coverings along the streets? Thais themselves complain about it. Here you have a tropical city that is among the hottest on earth but with no effort made to make walking more comfortable.

City design is all over the place. Many taxis do the know how to go where you want to go because addressing is terrible. Ever wonder why Thai websites and other businesses have to rely on drawn maps for everything?

All this makes for a very, very difficult time getting around.

Contrast with world class cities like: Tokyo, seoul, shanghai, Singapore, London, new York, Rome, and even places like Kuala Lumpur and HCM city.

Food

This is a tricky one because I think Thai food is among the best in the world. However, if what you desire is anything other than Thai food, international food in Thailand is in my opinion generally poor. And no doubt some of this is due to the archaic business laws in Thailand which prevent or restrict most foreigners from owning outright and competing fairly with Thais.

Contrast with places like Tokyo or new York or Singapore or Paris. In those cities you can find excellent food from nearly anywhere on earth. That's world class.

Cultural attractions

Bangkok for sure has some. However, there are not many and they are not varied across a range. It is essentially temples and markets. Where are the museums? Quality public parks? Quality Thai music? Social discourse on important Thai cultural issues (they do this in Korea)?

Visual attractiveness

Be honest. Could anyone say they think Bangkok is a pretty city? In my opinion, it is as ugly a city as I've been in, and I've been to most large cities in the world. Bangkok retains no natural beauty you'd expect to find in a tropical region. Most of its buildings lack character as they are nothing more than reinforced concrete, grey dirty and washed out eye sores.

Hygiene

I don't think much needs to be said on this topic. Thais are generally clean people (certainly much better than the Chinese) but they don't seem to have the education to understand that certain foods need to be consistently refrigerated or handled in a certain way to prevent food borne sickness.

I can't tell you how many of my friends get sick in Bangkok from eating here. Same friends rarely get sick in other cities with good hygiene standards.

I've never been sick from eating in Tokyo, ever.

Shopping

I don't really understand Bangkok's attractiveness in this area. Almost anything that international in origin will be more expensive here, and sometimes much more expensive. Thai products of any quality are quite limited to mostly textiles and foods... And with even textiles, Thailand has all but destroyed for example it's old and previously wonderful silk industry. And anyway Jim Thompson stuff can be found in other cities. Electronics, clothes, luxury goods (and especially if you want to be sure of authenticity) are all more expensive in Bangkok than many other world class cities.

General safety

Do we really need to say anything here? Roads, walkways with motor vehicles on them, police force which is complicit with crime, lack of hygiene, ect. World class cities are those where non locals and locals alike feel generally safe from these things.

How's that?

[theblether]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

Please note the users name that made that comment

And please note the users name that made that one!

Ahem, surely you can see the irony

Anyway, can anyone point out to me a top tier world city that has terrible shopping?

Just asking

[theblether]

An excellent summation PaullyW

[DocN]

What was the criteria?

Bangkok may be an interesting city in some places (and I do not mean Nana!), but the "Worlds Best"?
Just because they go on and on about the Grand Palace "having no equal" in all the world, doesn't make BKK a good choice for sightseeing!

Is BKK suitable for handicapped people? With those sidewalks, full of cracks and loose concrete and full of vendors, garbage and motocy's?

Restaurants and cinemas? Seriously?

Most of the cities parks are a crying shame: too small and badly maintained!

Sightseeing? "Here is a temple....over there is another temple....and here is a temple, for a change!"

No, really: I don't get it!

Yes, money goes far...but not THAT far!

[ggold]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

OK so because some think Bangkok is a horrible place = Thai bashing! Interesting.

How about mere BKK bashers? will that please you? There's more to see and do within one square mile of London than the entirety of Bangkok. That's never mind the superb city of Sydney.

BKK is a concrete jungle, a horrible place that's lost it's soul.

[PaullyW]

Having said all that, I think Bangkok is an interesting city. Buy not world class.

[Bof]

Looks like they forgot about the dreadful traffic that is becoming worse on a daily basis

[ratcatcher]

Bangkok, "World's best city".

Easy to say, but what does it really mean? This 'award' was made by a Travel & Leisure magazine and signifies that it is only "the best city" as far as tourists are concerned.

The world's most livable cities are listed here, 4 in Australia, 3 in Canada. All a matter of opinion of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_most_livable_cities

Posters making what may seem to be negattive comments either live here or have, correctly, noticed many negative things about Bangkok.The city has a pathetic lack of greenspace and some of the worst traffic jams on earth..

It does have a fairly vibrant night life, some good restaurants and plenty of scenic concrete work.

But anyway it's nice for Thailand to be able to congratulate itself on something, since most of the news is, sadly, giving the country a bad name.

Just look at the forum topics for a list.

[johnlandy]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

And why do you think it is not?

It is far and away NOT the best city in the world. Claims that it is, are written by Thais for the brainwashing and edification of idiots.

[Alwyn]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

"now" you have to put up with Thais thinking this? It's the 4th consecutive year - has it impacted your life in any way shape or form for the past three years? If you haven't got anything nice to say (especially about your hosts) then saying nothing is favourite

[Alwyn]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

And why do you think it is not?

It is far and away NOT the best city in the world. Claims that it is, are written by Thais for the brainwashing and edification of idiots.

So you're saying Thais started the Travel & Leisure magazine. Made up the competition incognito, held the awards in New York, awarded themselves 1st place and then sent mayor over to collect the prize? And they did this all for the edification of idiots? And exactly which planet do you come from?

[Alwyn]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

How right you are/were.. Thai bashers out of bed with nothing better to do. Does make one wonder why they choose to stay if it's so bad?

[Alwyn]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

How about mere BKK bashers? will that please you? There's more to see and do within one square mile of London than the entirety of Bangkok. That's never mind the superb city of Sydney.

BKK is a concrete jungle, a horrible place that's lost it's soul.

Sydney would never get voted best city. Too many whining moaning flatulent Aussies there

[Alwyn]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

You can harp on about the skytrain and mrt as much as you like but the fact remains that the cities roads grind to a gridlocked halt at least two times daily.

a bit like any other city in the World then...

[brimacthai]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

That's so true... I enjoy Bangkok when I'm there... so much good fun to be had!