PM pleased as Bangkok ranks world’s top destination

BANGKOK, Sept 24 (TNA) – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is pleased after Bangkok were named as the world’s most popular travel destination this year by Mastercard, according to Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman of the Prime Minister's Office. Bangkok topped the 2016 ranking of 132 most-visited cities in the annual Global Destinations Cities Index by Mastercard, a technology company in the global payments industry. The Thai capital is expected to receive a total of 21.47 million international overnight visitors this year, ahead of London with 19.88 million and Paris with 18.03 million. Maj Gen Sansern said Gen Prayut is delighted that Bangkok has become the most popular destination city among international tourists. Still, the government will continue attracting more tourists to the country and boost their spending by improving tourist sites, and service and security standards. He added that the government targets 2.3 trillion baht in tourism revenue this year. (TNA)