International tourists’ activity has picked up due to the continuous scaling down of COVID-19 restriction measures around the globe. Amid this renewed vigor in the tourism scene, major accommodations booking platform Agoda has found Bangkok to be the most popular destination among tourists globally. It also found Pattaya City to be the eighth most popular destination.
Online travel booking platform Agoda made the findings after having compiled data on room booking made via the platform from May to August this year. It found Bangkok to be the number one destination drawing interest from foreign tourists. Agoda noted Thailand’s near-complete lifting of Covid travel restrictions and disease control measures. It made the observation that nightlife venues, beaches, cultures, and myriad foods await tourists who visit Thailand.
Other destinations Agoda said were among the top five most popular among its users were, in respective order, Jeju island of South Korea; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Tokyo, Japan; and Seoul, South Korea. Thailand’s Pattaya City was the 8th most popular destination, owing to it being a seaside city renowned for its nightlife scene. According to Agoda, Pattaya was also appreciated for its sandy beaches, delectable food offers, and gorgeous hotels.
With international travel slowly returning to normal, the government has laid down a tourism restoration plan for 2023. Emphasis is placed on creating value for each journey taken and improving marketing competitiveness. These efforts are aimed at enabling sustainable growth of tourism. To achieve this aim, meaningful and memorable experiences will be fostered and made into qualities that attract tourists. Thailand’s soft power will also be leveraged as the country takes aim at becoming a “world-class destination”. The government wishes to promote Thailand as a destination that can be enjoyed year-round. The target for tourism income generation in 2023 is 2.38 trillion baht.
Thailand’s tourism attractions are by no means clustered in just Bangkok and Pattaya. Several other destinations – Chiang Mai and Phuket to name a few – are also highly rated by travelers. As hosts to the tourists, people in Thailand are encouraged to take care of existing tourist attractions and seek new experiences that can be offered to travelers. This should be pursued while adequately meeting health requirements. The gradual revitalization of holiday-making worldwide presents Thailand with a good opportunity to attract tourism income and thus revive its economy. (NNT)
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