Thailand moves up tourism chart

Thailand 11th in world rankings

The UN World Tourism Organization has moved Thailand up one place on the list of the world’s top destinations from 12 to 11.

Last year, Thailand was one of only five international destinations whose tourism receipts grew by more than $5 billion (£3.1 billion) in 2011 as income hit a record $26.3 billion, up $6.2 billion on 2010.

Overall, global international tourism receipts exceeded $1 trillion for the first time last year, up from $928 billion in 2010, proving that tourism is a healthy and recovering industry.

Following this latest ranking, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident that the country can break into the top ten next time with a strong performance this year.

“Thailand could well make the top ten by international tourism receipts for 2012,” it said.

“Thailand has come a long way in the past decade not only on the tourism front, but in terms of major economic developments.”

Written by Ruth Norris

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