Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket earned prestigious recognition from US travellers. In TripAdvisor’s annual TripIndex report, all three of the Thai cities were voted among the 10 most popular and best value cities in Asia. Chiang Mai came in fourth and was the highest rated Thai city followed by Bangkok in seventh place and Phuket which came in at tenth in the rankings.
TripAdvisor conducts the index to help travellers from America find travel hot spots that offer the best value. The company compares primary travel expenses including a seven-night hotel stay and average round-trip airfare from the US as well as a year-over-year comparison of the overall costs, the Tourism Authority of Thailand noted. The company then releases the top 20 cities in each category.
Chiang Mai
Phuket
The findings show Chiang Mai as providing the lowest cost in Thailand and prices for a trip to the city decreased by 21 percent from last year. Prices for Phuket dropped 20 percent and Bangkok saw a nine percent reduction year-on-year.
“Apart from offering the best value for money, Thailand provides the US visitors with the best travelling experiences due to the diversity of destinations to fulfill the different desirable holiday,” Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the TAT, said in a press release. “Also, we would like to welcome US travellers to Thailand and see how Thainess, Thai hospitality, our rich history, culture and Thai ways of life can fulfill their holiday time.”
Visitors from the US spend THB4,956 and have an average stay of about 14-days per person when travelling in Thailand, TripAdvisor’s report estimates. Americans prefer visiting Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai when they come to Thailand and the country is popular because of its beaches and culture, the TAT reported.
The TAT noted that arrivals from the US to Thailand have increased by nearly 13 percent from January to October of this year when compared to 2014. So far 677,198 Americans have traveled to Thailand and TAT said it has several initiatives in place to promote the Kingdom in the US.
Featured Image via www.tatnews.org
