Foreign tourists voted Bangkok the most attractive city to visit among 10 of 11 member cities Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC 21).
Following a Bangkok University ‘Bangkok Poll’ ranking10 cities, minus Myanmar’s Yangon, whose representatives joined the eighth meeting of ANMC 21 recently in Bangkok, the Thai capital was voted the most attractive city to visit by foreign travellers by receiving a score of 7.19 out of 10.
The survey was conducted from 31 October to 1 November 2009 among some 500 foreign tourists visiting Bangkok. Among the five factors that draw tourists to Bangkok, Thai food counted as around 20 per cent as being of interest of foreigners the most, while the city’s historical sites and ancient remains came second at 19 per cent.
Thai hospitality rated 16 per cent, while local culture placed fourth and the capital’s shopping centers placed last at 15 per cent.
The most impressive tourist attractions in Bangkok are the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple, while shopping malls in city center and Chatuchak Weekend Market received 11 per cent.
According to the poll, the average tourists’ satisfaction score out of 10 for their trip to Bangkok was around 7. Food and drinks were the most satisfactory items, given the score of 8.56. Travelling to Bangkok was considered the best value for money, coming second at 8.41, while Bangkok weather scored lowest at 4.62.
Above all, some 77 per cent of the respondents said they would revisit Bangkok, 3 per cent said they would not, while 19 per cent were uncertain.
However, 91 per cent of the tourists said they would advise their families and friends to travel to Bangkok.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds — 63 per cent — were confident that Bangkok could cope with the pandemic Influenza A(H1N1), while some 80 per cent said that Thailand’s internal politics had only a slight effect on their decisions to travel to Thailand.
Of the other cities in the ANMC 21 group, Japan’s Tokyo was voted the second most attractive city at the score of 3.12,.
The 8th Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC 21) concerned sustainable tourism policy dialogue and a report on measures against Influenza A(H1N1). The 11 member cities comprise Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and Yangon.