Category: Trade Activities

Bangkok, 08 September, 2021 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to announce that Thailand has been ranked in 7^th place worldwide in the 2021 ‘Best Countries Heritage’ listing, moving up two spots from 2020’s position and being the only Southeast Asian country, and one of only 3 Asian countries to feature in the top 10.

TAT Governor, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, said “Thailand’s rich and splendid heritage has always been a strong factor in its tremendous appeal to the world’s travellers. The top countries in the Best Countries Heritage list are described as those most readily associated with a unique identity, and this is something Thailand can be extremely proud of.”

The Best Countries Heritage list is a sub-ranking of the Best Countries rankings compiled by the BAV Group (a unit of global marketing communications company, VMLY&R) and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania based on the perceptions of 78 countries in various metrics assessed from a study of over 17,000 people.

The Heritage list is based on five attributes of a country – culturally accessible, a rich history, great food, many cultural attractions, and many geographical attractions. The geographical attractions attribute is new for 2021.

In its descriptions of the top 10 heritage countries, the Heritage list said of Thailand: “Buddha figures are ever-present in the “land of smiles,” where bustling, modern cities are juxtaposed with ancient ruins, glistening beaches, and gilded temples. The nation is home to the acclaimed Thai massage and cuisine that is known to balance sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy flavours.”

Thailand’s impressive performance in the 2021 Best Countries Heritage list can be seen not only in its rise from 9^th to 7^th  place in the top 10 – which was again dominated by Europe with Spain, Italy and Greece filling the top three spots followed by France in 4^th – but also in the fact it is among only 3 Asian countries in the top 10, alongside India and Japan.

Bangkok, 01 September, 2021 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to announce that Bangkok has topped the list of ‘workation’ cities around the world for 2021, in a global survey by Germany-based vacation search engine company Holidu.

The Thai capital was ranked first thanks to its affordable cost of living, high degree of English-language proficiency, range of attractions, wealth of world-class facilities, and multinational corporate offices.

Phuket also featured among the top workation cities around the globe, coming in at No. 10.

TAT Governor, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, said “Having two Thai cities included in the top workation destinations of the world is a fantastic thumbs-up that indicates their immense popularity among those who choose to work abroad from their home. Of all the cities on offer, it’s truly pleasing to know so many choose Bangkok and Phuket as their favourite workation spot.”

Holidu’s Workation Index for 2021 reflects the growing popularity of a ‘workation’ – whether a long weekend, week, month or longer – in which business can be mixed with pleasure at home or in a holiday destination abroad, particularly in the current situation where more and more companies are having employees work from home.

The Workation Index ranked 150 cities as working vacation destinations. It based this on various factors ranging from the monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment and cost of after-work drinks to average hours of sunshine, Wi-Fi speeds, and the number of ‘things to do’.

Holidu said Bangkok, Phuket, and the other cities that secured top spots in the 2021 workation rankings offered an affordable cost of living, attractively priced accommodation, food and drinks, and were cultural hotspots in their own right with so much to see and do.

Bangkok, 23 August, 2021 – Bangkok and Phuket have been named among the world’s most popular destinations in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best 2021 awards.

TAT Governor, Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, said “It’s wonderful to know that Bangkok and Phuket remain firmly entrenched in the minds of travellers everywhere as being two of the favourite tourist destinations on the globe. It’s also particularly satisfying when you consider these Best of the Best awards are chosen by those who have personally experienced and obviously cherished the destinations.”

Bangkok and Phuket appear in the ‘Popular Destinations – World’ category of the Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best 2021 awards – iconic, can’t miss destinations that are always at the top of travellers’ wish lists.

Bangkok is described as: “Golden palaces, floating markets, majestic porcelain-laid spires…you’ve never seen a capital city quite like Bangkok. Visit Pratunam or Siam Square for premium shopping, then unwind in the European-style gardens of Dusit. Thon Buri is home to the awesome Wat Arun temple, and over in Phra Nakhon, you’ll find the Wat Pho temple of the Reclining Buddha. Savour mango sticky rice at a food stall before taking in the gilded splendour of the Grand Palace.”

And Phuket as: “An international magnet for beach lovers and serious divers, who enthusiastically submerge themselves in the Andaman Sea. Blue lagoons and salmon sunsets make for a dream-like atmosphere, and indeed, a vacation here can feel a bit surreal. Water sports are the most popular activities, though once you’ve had enough sun, there’s still plenty to explore at the island’s aquariums, gardens, and Buddhist temples.”

Thailand was also included in other categories of the Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best 2021 awards, by way of the enchanting culture and fascinating heritage on offer to tourists who visit the kingdom.

Featured in the Things to Do section of Tripadvisor’s website, the ‘Phuket Thai Cooking Class’ 3-hour tour in which tourists learn to prepare authentic Thai cuisine was voted into the ‘Top Overall Experiences – World’ category; while the full-day ‘Private Excursion to Floating Market and Ayutthaya World Heritage Site’ tour made it into the ‘Top Luxury Tours – World’ category.

Bangkok, 13 September, 2021 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to report that Thailand has performed well in the ‘World’s Best Awards 2021’ survey by Travel + Leisure, with destinations and hotels being voted among the top worldwide.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai both featured in the top 10 of the World’s Best Cities category, with Chiang Mai in 9^th spot with a score of 90.06 and Bangkok in 10^th with a score of 89.81.

Ko Samui secured 2^nd place in the Top 5 Islands in Asia category with a score of 90.34, and also came in at 7^th in the Top 25 Islands in the World category.

Four Bangkok hotels made their way into the Top 100 Hotels in the World category, with Capella Bangkok situated on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River occupying 4^th place on the list with a score of 99.38.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok came in at 41^st with a score of 97.87, tied with Katikies Mykonos in Greece’s Mykonos, The Lanesborough in London, and The Roundtree, Amagansett in New York. The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River earned 55^th place with a score of 97.59, and The Sukhothai Bangkok was named in 73^rd with a score of 97.25.

The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok also received a Hall of Fame designation, indicating it had been voted into the Top 100 Hotels in the World list for the past 10 consecutive years.

The World’s Best Awards is based on an annual reader survey, and for the 2021 edition voting was carried out from 11 January-10 May, 2021. There are categories for airlines, airports, car rental, cities, cruise ships, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands, islands, tour operators and safari outfitters, and national parks in the USA.

Thailand Luxury Virtual Mart (TLVM) 2021 was held during 17^th – 18^th March 2021 to bring together 17 Australian and New Zealand qualified luxury travel buyers with 25 of Thailand’s most exclusive travel suppliers to network, gain insights and together, design inspiring travel experiences in the new normal. The first day was about the Australia and New Zealand market situation updates by Miss Suladda Sarutilavan, Director of TAT, Sydney Office, followed by a market brief by Ms. Sherly Handjojo, Marketing Manager, ending with a Tourism Clinic and Q&A. The second day started with a welcome speech by Mr. Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT Deputy Governor for Asia and South Pacific, a video presentation and our Appointment Program, featured by the central, which matched buyer interests directly with supplier products, meaning every connection has business meaning tailored to their needs.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Sydney held the Amazing Thailand Product Update 2021 – Restore, Refresh and Renew, the in-person and virtual event under the spirit of the health and wellness theme, at Doltone House Hyde Park, Sydney on Thursday 20 May 2021. The successful event was all about Thailand and plans for reopening the Kingdoms ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ in the future. It also gave the industry the chance to learn more about Thailand as a destination from 23 Thai suppliers (airlines, accommodations, and attractions), to come together and reconnect with over 70 registered attendees at the event and under 100 online attendees. On the day of the event TAT gave away some amazing prizes to the people in attendance and the online participants. As the evening ended many individuals had expressed their gratitude for the Thai hospitality and looked forward to the events we would hold in the future.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Sydney participated in a Virtual Luxperience event during the 13^th – 16^th of October 2020. There were 505 participants for the Virtual Luxperience event and the satisfaction rate was as high as 97%. TAT had a pre-appointment with 42 travel agents as well as travel media from Australia and New Zealand. The reason for this, was to update our partners how Thailand reacts during a pandemic and how they will welcome back international travellers when the borders re-open. The event was an overall success, as travel agents and media looked forward to promoting Thailand to their clients in the near future.