Phuket ranks No 1 in 2026 Canadian wellness travel vote
Thailand welcomed 180,510 Canadian visitors from January 1 to September 21, 2026, up 2.35% year on year, as Phuket won a wellness award
- Phuket, Thailand, has been voted the number one wellness destination for 2026 by Canadian travellers.
- The recognition came from winning the wellness category in the Air Canada Vacations’ Travellers’ Top Picks Awards.
- The award was decided by a vote of Canadian travellers, with over 1.3 million total votes cast across all categories.
- Thai officials see the award as a success for their "Value-led Tourism" approach and plan to use it to attract more high-value tourists from Canada.
Phuket, Thailand, has won the wellness category of Air Canada Vacations’ 2026 Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, following a vote by Canadian travellers. The award was presented on September 22 at Universal Event Space in the Toronto area, Canada. Phuket’s recognition came at the Air Canada Vacations Toronto Product Launch, where the Thai destination received the award for securing the most votes in the wellness category.
Air Canada Vacations awards attract over 1.3 million votes
Air Canada Vacations’ official announcement confirms that the voting total covers the entire awards programme. The competition comprised:
- Organiser: Air Canada Vacations, holding the awards for a second year
- Voting: Canadian travellers selected their favourite destinations through the Travellers’ Top Picks website
- Categories: 10
- Total votes: More than 1.3 million across all categories
Canadian arrivals in Thailand rise 2.35%
Canada remains a promising long-haul tourism market for Thailand, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The agency’s figures for January 1 to September 21, 2026 show:
- Canadian arrivals in Thailand: 180,510
- Growth: 2.35% compared with the same period in 2025
- Market ranking: Canada was Thailand’s ninth-largest long-haul source market
Thailand plans broader health and wellness partnerships
Deputy government spokesperson Ploytalay Laksameesangchan said Phuket’s ranking reflected Canadian travellers’ recognition of the quality and variety of Thailand’s health and wellness experiences.
Ploytalay linked the result to Thailand’s “Value-led Tourism” approach, which prioritises the value of travel experiences and quality growth over increasing visitor numbers alone.
“This wellness award provides important momentum for attracting more high-value travellers from Canada and building on that growth to create value, experiences and sustainable tourism revenue,” Ploytalay said.
The government and TAT plan to build on Phuket’s success by expanding cooperation across health and wellness tourism, supporting Thailand’s ambition to become a global wellness destination.
