Indian Travelers Vote Thailand as the World’s Best Country

Thailand takes the top award for “The World’s Best Country 2011” and “The World’s Best Wedding Destination 2011” from Travel & Leisure Magazine (India & South Asia).

The results came from an online poll taken from Indian readers of Travel & Leisure, one of the world’s foremost travel periodicals.

The awards were presented to Mr. Prakit Piriyakiat, Deputy Marketing Director for Communication, Tourism Authority of Thailand, at a ceremony hosted by Travel & Leisure at the ITC-Maurya Hotel in New Delhi on 17 February 2012.

The “World’s Best Country 2011” award, the highest honor of the night, is a true reflection of Thailand’s growing popularity as the top destination for Indian travelers.  Outbound tourists from India to Thailand are expected to reach 1 million by the end of this year.

In 2011, Thailand overtook Singapore as the number one country in the world to receive inbound tourists from India.  Last year, 916,787 Indian tourists visited Thailand, the equivalent of 7% of 13 million Indians who took holiday abroad in 2011. Singapore was visited by 868,963 Indians. Malaysia came in third with 693,056 tourists from India.

Source: Tourism Authority of Thailand Statistics

Chamsai Menasveta