Japan most popular destination for Thais

Japan most popular destination for Thais

Japan is the most popular overseas destination with Thai vacationers, with Tokyo topping the search list, according to global travel search site Skyscanner.

An undated handout illustration shows the Tokyo Sky Tree broadcasting tower in Tokyo, Japan , released to the media on Oct 16, 2009. The tower opened as a new tourist attraction since May 22, 2013. (Bloomberg photo)

In its comprehensive analysis of flight searches made by local travelers in 2013, Japan’s appeal was universal as it was the most searched destination for both Thai families and single travellers.

Tokyo was the most searched international city while Osaka was fast becoming a popular destination, coming in at number seven on the top-10 city list.

“Based on our travel search data, Japan was the star attraction for Thai tourists in 2013 and this trend is likely to continue,” said Pobpapha Areerat, Skyscanner’s Marketing Manager for Thailand.

“There were key factors like the visa waiver introduced in July, and a more favourable exchange rate, that also played a significant part in making Japan number one in 2013,” said Ms Areerat. 

The analysis is in line with earlier report that the number of travellers from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and India set all-time highs for November.

On Dec 20, Japan has met its target of drawing 10 million foreign visitors in 2013. In 2014, JTB Corp, the largest travel agency in Japan, said foreign visitor numbers in 2014 could reach 11.8 million, with the recent addition of traditional Japanese cuisine to Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list likely to stoke interest in Japan.

Japan's government had aimed to reach the 10 million mark in 2010, but the global financial downturn, followed by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the country's northeast, hit tourism, leaving 2010's 8.61 million visitor tally as the record high until this year's recovery.

Skyscanner said South Korea was another popular Asian destination, generating significant interest from many young Thais. 

“Seoul was the number two most popular city for Thai singles.  This reflects the tremendous influence of Hallyu or the global Korean wave of culture, food, films, TV shows, pop singers and bands that is garnering huge numbers of fans in Thailand,” said Ms Popprapa.

Besides Japan, the US, the UK, China, and South Korea were also top destinations for Thai travellers. The top five international cities were Tokyo, London, Singapore, Seoul, and Hong Kong. In terms of the most popular time for Thais to travel overseas, August was the peak month. 

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