Japan, Korea and HK as top destinations to Thai travellers

 Of total respondents from Thailand, 50 per cent highlighted Japan as their first destination, 30 per cent Korea and 21 per cent Hong Kong. 
 Thai travellers spent an average of Bt40,710 on trips taken by respondents in the last two year while they expect to spend an average of Bt48,420 on trips taken in the upcoming two years.
 Globally, the US, the UK and Japan have been voted the top global travel destinations among 11,620 respondents from 23 countries and territories around the world. One in five (20 per cent) global respondents surveyed said they are likely to travel to the United States for leisure in the next two years. The United Kingdom followed closely behind in second place with 19 percent of the respondents indicating they are likely to travel there for their holiday, followed by Japan (16 per cent) and France and Italy (both 15 per cent).
 The survey also found the availability of good deals (70 per cent), natural scenery (69 per cent), political stability and good weather (both 66 per cent), and new destinations (65 per cent) as top factors which influence global travellers’ choice of destinations.
 “With its great cultural diversity, amazing scenery and a shopping paradise for holidaymakers, it is no surprise that one in five people say they are likely to visit the US in the next two years. The competitive exchange rates preceding the survey would have helped make the US an even more appealing destination to international travellers. The UK was cited as the second favorite destination and of those who want to visit UK, 27 percent said they are likely to attend a sporting event. The upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games could be a pull factor and it is an indication that sport tourism is proving to be a growing attraction for today's travellers," said Somboon Krobteeranon, Country Manager, Thailand, Visa.
 “While Japan has always been a firm favourite among travellers from Asia Pacific as has been noted in both this year's and our previous surveys, we re-ran the survey in two of Japan’s key source markets, Mainland China and South Korea, in August this year to assess how much the March tsunami affected traveler sentiments. The survey, very encouragingly, found that Chinese and South Korean respondents still rank Japan among their top destinations . More than one in three (34 per cent) respondents from Mainland China and one in four (24 per cent) respondents from South Korea said they are likely to travel to Japan in the next two years. This is in line with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Destination Trends  that international arrivals to Japan have picked up slightly post-tsunami. Our survey findings present great news hinting at a strong recovery and boost for the afflicted Japanese economy,” he added.
 The survey shows that the global average spend for the last trip taken by respondents in the past two years was Bt44,430 rising to an expected global average of Bt56,850 when traveling in the forthcoming two years.  Results from the survey also reveal that the highest spenders were respondents from Australia who spent an average of Bt109,080 in their last trip. Respondents from Saudi Arabia were the next highest spenders who spent an average of Bt93,870 on their last trip.  Projected spending in the next two years also demonstrates that respondents from Australia again look to be the highest spenders, with a projected average travel budget of Bt107,460. 

On average, global respondents are planning to make four international trips in the next two years, with 11 per cent more respondents intending to travel in the next two years, compared with the last two years. Most global travellers indicated they intend to spend an average of 10 nights on their next vacation.