Top online travel searches: Loei, Japan

Top online travel searches: Loei, Japan

The northeastern province of Loei was the most searched domestic destination and Japan the most searched country by prospective Thai travellers last year, according to Skyscanner.co.th.

Kiatipong Khochawong, director of the Loei provincial office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the findings were released by the Skyscanner webwite, which is a leading search engine website in the categories of air tickets, hotel reservations and car rentals.

Although popular northern provinces such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai remained among the top destinations on the search list, several northeastern provinces have made important inroads, said Mr Kiatipong.

Loei last year showed the highest increase in search popularity, followed by Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani which have gained increased interest from online users looking to organise a trip, he said.

Ranked fourth on the same list of popular destinations was Pai district in Mae Hong Son province, followed by Roi Et, Sakhon Nakhon, Nakhon Ratchasima, Hat Yai district in Songkhla province, Chiang Rai and Surat Thani, he said.

Japan was the most popular destination for Thais planning overseas trips, pulling in the highest number of searches online about places to visit in that country, he said.

The Japanese cities of Fukuoka, Nagoya, Sapporo and Osaka were destinations for which Thais most frequently searched for air tickets.

Aside from Japan, Taiwan is a rising star for Thais after it implemented a visa-free entry policy, he said.

As for those interested in more adventurous travel, Leh Ladakh in India last year gained the most increased popularity of 88% based on information from the search engine website, he said.

The destination is popular among visitors because it has the Great Himalaya scenery and ancient cultural heritage to offer, he said.

Reykjavik, the capital and largest city of Iceland, also gained a significant increase in popularity among Thai online searchers last year, he said.

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