Thailand wins award for ‘Best Tourist Country’ in Sweden

Thailand continues to make waves across the globe for its reputation as a tourist magnet.

Thailand has been recognised as the Best Tourist Country at the 30th annual Grand Travel Awards 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Organised by TravelNews, the award is based on a survey conducted by research company Nordic Bench, which collected responses from 3,227 Swedish travellers and travel professionals across Sweden.

This marks the second time in five years that Thailand has received the prestigious award. Orn Doungchan, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Stockholm Office, expressed her gratitude to the Swedish people, travel agencies, tour operators, and airlines for their support and confidence in Thailand. She also thanked the Thai people for helping shape Thailand as the best tourist country.

Aligned with the “Visit Thailand Year 2023: Amazing New Chapters” tourism marketing campaign, the TAT Stockholm Office will keep promoting Thailand’s direction towards experience-based, sustainable, and responsible tourism. The office also seeks to encourage Nordic travellers to discover many new and wonderful tourism experiences beyond Thailand’s beaches and cities.

Furthermore, Thailand’s 5F soft-power foundations of Food, Film, Festival, Fight, and Fashion will be promoted to offer meaningful travel experiences in Thailand. At the Grand Travel Awards ceremony, representatives from the TAT Stockholm Office, the Royal Thai Embassy in Stockholm, and Thanida Menasavet, Minister Counselor and Chinattha Sangvachara, Second Secretary were present to receive the award.

Thailand’s tourism industry, which accounts for a significant portion of the country’s GDP, has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the Grand Travel Awards 2023 recognition affirms Thailand’s continued popularity as a top travel destination, encouraging stakeholders to promote the country’s unique cultural and natural attractions.

Thailand welcomed 2.14 million international tourists in January, according to data from the tourism ministry. The top three source markets last month were Malaysia with 288,745 tourists, Russia with 202,759 tourists, and South Korea with 169,462 tourists.

However, the return of travellers from China, following the removal of Covid restrictions, helped boost the numbers. A total of 91,841 Chinese tourists flocked to Thailand last month, compared with 3,110 in the same period last year.

Tourism is a vital source of employment and a major driver of the economy in Thailand, typically accounting for about 12% of the annual GDP. Before the pandemic hit, Thailand welcomed almost 40 million visitors in 2019, who spent 1.91 trillion baht (US$54.37 billion).