Bangkok – Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya, have been listed among the 20 most-visited destinations in the world, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) 2018.
Bangkok retains its ranking as the world’s most-visited city for the third consecutive year. About 20.05 million travelers visited the Thai capital in 2017, with the average length of stay at 4.7 nights, and average spending at US$173 (5,500 baht) a day. Since 2012, Bangkok has topped the survey five times.
In the GDCI 2018, Phuket, with 9.29 million tourists, came in 12th place, and Pattaya 18th, with 8.67 million visitors. According to Mastercard, the fact that Thailand has three cities in the top 20 reflects the country’s infrastructure stability and perfect mix of business and leisure opportunities, as well as its unique culture and affordability, in comparison with other global metropolitan areas.
The government’s efforts are also an important contributor to lifting Thailand above the global tourism standard. The Thai government has introduced a number of measures to promote tourism and has hosted many world-class events over the past year.
