Aussies put Phuket in World Top 10
PHUKET: According to statistics released to the Phuket Gazette today by giant hotel booking website Wotif.com, Australians have changed their travel patterns and are visiting Asia more and more.
And Phuket has ascended into the mega-site’s Top Ten world destinations over the past two years.
Pointing to the website’s league tables below, Kristy Harrison, Wotif’s Marketing Director for Asia, notes that Asia’s gains have come at the expense of some big city rivals in Europe.
Top Ten Overseas Destinations 2004
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- London, UK
- Singapore
- Paris, France
- Kowloon, China
- Dublin, Ireland
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Rome, Italy
Top Ten Overseas Destinations 2008
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Singapore
- Bangkok, Thailand
- London, UK
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Hong Kong (Kowloon), China
- Hong Kong (Island), China
- Phuket, Thailand
- Fiji
Top Ten Overseas Destinations 2009 (Year to Date)
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Singapore
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Bali, Indonesia
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- London, UK
- Hong Kong (Kowloon), China
- Hong Kong (Island), China
- Phuket, Thailand
Paris, Dublin and Rome have dropped off the preferred destination maps of Australian travelers, and for Phuket to have been one of the attractions replacing those cities is “no mean feat” Harrison says.
The trend noted by Wotif with regard to Phuket is consistent with information obtained by the Gazette three months ago for preparation of a June 20 story about tourist arrivals to the resort island.
At that time, Promchote Traivate, Director of the Phuket Tourism and Sports Office, reported that statistics for the first quarter of this year showed Australia as the number one source of tourist arrivals to Phuket.
Wotif, headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, has several offices in Asia, including Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket) where it is supported by three of the country’s top websites: Phuket.Com; AsiaWebDirect.Com; and Latestays.com.
— Gazette Reporters
