Thailand tops in tourist attractions in region, says TripAdvisor

Thailand surpassed its neighbors in Southeast Asia in terms of tourist interest in its attractions, capturing five of the top 15 sites that tourists increasingly searched for on the TripAdvisor travel website, the leading global travel site said last week, although the attractions they searched for were not necessarily the best known.

Leading the Thai group of attractions was Nong Nooch Gardens in Chonburi province close to Bangkok. Open since 1980, Nong Nooch is a 500-acre tropical botanical garden that also includes a resort with accommodations and restaurants. The garden, divided into 20 individually themed gardens, also stages cultural shows on a daily basis. Overall, Nong Nooch Gardens was the fifth-most searched for attraction in Southeast Asia on the TripAdvisor site.

“A leisurely stroll through the botanical park is like taking a journey around the world, through its many famous gardens, whether 17th-century French garden, Stonehenge, or European Renaissance garden,” according to the Bangkok.com website. “Equally fascinating are species-specific gardens, such as cactus and succulent plants, orchid nurseries, tropical palm gardens, bonsai and topiary garden.”

The other four attractions most searched for in Thailand were the Bua Thong waterfalls (Chiang Mai province), Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark (Chonburi province), Monkey Hill (Phuket province) and Krabi Weekend Night Market (Krabi province), which took the sixth, eighth, ninth and tenth spots, respectively.

“Best known for its unusual, stair-like limestone face that can be climbed easily by children and adults alike, the Bua Thong waterfalls reward climbers with spectacular aerial views of the surrounding forest at the summit,” TripAdvisor said.
The survey results are testament to the breadth and depth of attractions that appeal to tourists visiting Thailand. They indicate that beyond such globally renowned sites such as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace, stunning white sand beaches on several islands, the Bridge on the River Kwai and the ruins of Ayutthaya, Thailand still has many sites and places for tourists to discover, prompting them to become repeat visitors.

Despite increasing interest in these lesser known attractions, the capital city of Bangkok remains the top overall draw for the Kingdom, as it was recently named the “world’s most visited city” in an annual survey by MasterCard, the United States-based credit card and consumer research company.

Thailand is still on track to receive over 30 million tourists in 2016, and expects an even higher number of visitors next year.