Bangkok crowned world's most popular travel destination

BANGKOK, Sept 23 (TNA) -- Thailand's capital of Bangkok has been ranked top of MasterCard Global Destination Cites as the city with most international overnight visitor arrivals, surpassing London, Paris and Dubai. The annual MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index provides more than a ranking of the 132 most visited cities around the world. It projects visitor volume and spend estimates for the 2016 calendar year. Bangkok will welcome a total of 21.47 million international overnight visitors, the study projects. The second-ranked London will receive 19.88 million, followed by Paris, 18.03 million and Dubai, 15.27 million. Bangkok Deputy Governor Pusadee Tamthai said in a press conference that the city thanked Bangkokians for being good host to international visitors, citing the survey finding that visitors were most impressed by people’s hospitality. It is projected that foreign visitor arrivals in Thailand this year will reach 30 million. Ms Pusadee urged all Thais to help improve the city for the guests. The index also projects visitor volumes and spending estimates for the entire year, while delivering a deeper understanding of how people travel and spend. (TNA)