Thailand to become the world’s most popular travel destination.
For the past few years Bangkok and London have been battling it out to be crowned the most popular travel destination. London has unprecedented visitors numbers particularly in the wake of the Olympics in 2012, which shone the spotlight on the city across the world. However, Bangkok has consistently been nipping at London’s heels.
Mastercard, the global payments and technology firm, has placed Bangkok at the top of their annual rankings in the Mastercard Index of Global Destination Cities. Pipping London, Paris and Dubai to the top of the chart, Bangkok to date has the highest number of visitor numbers in 2016. Tourism has always played a huge role in Thailand’s economy and seemingly tourists are not deterred by events relating to politics or even the bomb blasts in August of this year.
Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Mastercard chief economist, commented, “It isn’t a flash in the pan. Bangkok is in a strong position to be the top destination city for a long time. There’s the value for money, especially for visitors coming from high-income countries”.
It is anticipated that 33 million visitors will arrive in Thailand in 2016, and in Bangkok alone the number is expected to reach 21.5 million visitors – the rise in the number of Chinese arriving in Thailand has influenced this.
This exposure is exactly the right sort of press that will continue to spur Thailand’s property market. Attracting investors from across the world, Thailand is often chosen for its good rental yields and as a great place to own a second home or holiday home. Many expatriates living in Hong Kong, China and Singapore purchase property on Phuket or Samui, as direct flights make these Thai islands the ideal place for a weekend getaway drawn to Thailand’s food, culture and beaches.