The City of Bangkok recently earned the award “Best City in Asia,” in the recent Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. Chiang Mai took home the second place award in the same category, while Phuket Island ranked third and Samui sixth in the "Best Island in Asia" category. H.E. Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, Minister of Tourism and Sports, accepted the award at a recent ceremony in New York. He is seen here pictured at a press conference this afternoon with Mrs. Phonsiri Manoharn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Mr. Weerasak told us that he was proud to see Bangkok and the rest of the Thai travel and tourism industry winning so consistently in this and other international award ceremonies.

Three of the ten "Best Hotels in Asia" are also located in Thailand, all in Bangkok: The Peninsula, The Oriental, and Shangri-La. Two Thailand resorts placed in "The Top 10 Asia Resorts" category were the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle and Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. In fact, the Tented Camp did so well that it was placed number one in the overall Top 100 category. More than 30,000 readers in America participated in the annual poll to vote for their favorite cities, hotels, cruises and more. "These awards celebrate the destinations, lodgings, and modes of transportation that manage to exceed our expectations," said Conde Nast Traveler Editor in Chief Klara Glowczewska.

Between January and June 2008, international visitor arrivals at Suvarnabhumi International Airport totaled 5.6 million, up 14.4% over the same period of 2007. Arrivals from the USA were up 9.3% to 311,901. This year, the TAT is projecting a total of 694,000 visitor arrivals from the USA, generating a projected 39.8 million baht in tourism income.

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