Thread: Bangkok voted world's best city in travel poll

Bangkok voted world's best city in travel poll

Bangkok was voted the world's best city for 2008 and the Galapagos were picked as the best islands in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, winning over last year's winners Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia.

US-based magazine readers also voted Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the world's top hotel while Singapore Airlines grabbed the best airline award again.

It was the first time that Bangkok and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador topped their respective categories, said Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure.

Last year, Bangkok was ranked number 3 and the Galapagos number 8. The 2007 winners of best city and best island -- Florence and Bali -- fell to number 5 and number 2 respectively.

Singapore Airlines was voted number one, followed by Emirates, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific.

Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.

The results were complied from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March. Travel + Leisure will honour winners on July 24 in New York City.

Top 10 cities :

1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
3 Cape Town, South Africa 86.59
4 Sydney, Australia 86.49
5 Florence, Italy 86.24
6 Cuzco, Peru 86.15
7 Rome, Italy 85.12
8 New York, US 85.03
9 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
10 San Francisco, US 84.42

Top 5 Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific

1 Sydney 86.49
2 Melbourne 80.35
3 Queenstown. New Zealand 79.95
4 Perth 77.78
5 Hobart 77.38

Top 10 Asia :

1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Kyoto, Japan 84.27
3 Chiang Mai, Thailand 84.14
4 Hong Kong 83.69
5 Udaipur, India 83.51
6 Shanghai, China 81.83
7 Siem Reap, Cambodia 81.15
8 Beijing, China 81.05
9 Hanoi, Vietnam 80.87
10 Jaipur, India 80.78

Top 10 Europe :

1 Florence, Italy 86.24
2 Rome, Italy 85.12
3 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
4 Paris, France 82.59
5 Krakow, Poland 82.14
6 Prague, Czech Republic 81.81
7 Venice, Italy 81.74
8 Barcelona, Spain 81.32
9 Vienna, Austria 80.99
10 Salzburg, Austria 80.63

Top 5 Mexico and Central and South America

1 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
2 Cuzco Peru 86.15
3 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 82.19
4 Rio de Janeiro 80.15
5 Antigua, Guatemala 79.92

Top 10 Africa and the Middle East

1 Cape Town 86.59
2 Jerusalem 84.39
3 Fez, Morocco 80.77
4 Marrakesh, Morocco 80.46
5 Cairo 80.23
6 Dubai 78.86
7 Tel Aviv 78.60
8 Amman 74.52
9 Tunis 71.93
10 Alexandria 70.72

Top 10 Islands :

1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Bali 86.32
3 Maui 86.09
4 Kauai 85.87
5 Tasmania 85.00
6 Easter Island 84.78
7 Hawaii 84.66
8 Santorini 84.52
9 Great Barrier Reef Islands 84.42
10 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia 83.82

Top 3 Asia :

|1 Bali 86.32
2 Phuket Thailand 82.64
3 Penang Malaysia 81.67

Top 5 Europe :

1 Santorini, Greece 84.52
2 Dalmatian Islands, Croatia 83.50
3 Sicily, Italy 82.92
4 Ischia, Italy 82.41
5 Cyclades, Greece (Santorini rated separately) 82.40

Top 3 Mexico and Central and South America

1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Easter Island, Chile 84.78
3 Ambergris Cay, Belize 78.08

Top 20 Hotel Spas:

1 Wickaninnish Inn Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada 92.66
2 Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Thailand 92.19
3 Lodge at Pebble Beach California, US 90.94
4 Four Seasons Resort Nevis, US 90.88
5 Maroma Resort & Spa Riviera Maya, Mexico 90.79
6 Esperanza Resort Los Cabos, Mexico 90.63
7 Auberge du Soleil Rutherford, California, US 90.37
8 Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, France 90.28
9 Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Arizona, US 90.14
10 Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 90.10
11 Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa Maui, US 89.66
12 The Oriental Bangkok, Thailand 89.58
13 Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa Asheville, North Carolina, US 89.51
14 One & Only Ocean Club Paradise Island, Bahamas 89.47
15 Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, US 89.42
16 Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, US 88.75
17 The Peninsula Chicago, US 88.64
18 Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Beaver Creek, Colorado, US 88.62
19 Hotel del Coronado San Diego, US 88.16
20 American Club Kohler, Wisconsin, US 87.99

--The Nation 2008-07-10

I wonder who they polled.

franz and heinrich on the mean steets of pattaya

Aye! Notice that Thai Airways is number three, after Singapore and Emirates? Must be the same people. Ahhh, those direct flights from Munich and Stockholm.

its an online poll for crying out loud. i might go conduct me one of them and scheme to have savannakhet as the worlds best city and koh kong as the best island. whatever...

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has decided to launch a campaign to promote the city as a leading travel destination, starting from today and running until December next year, after being voted the World's Best City by magazine readers recently.

The new campaign, which was announced by governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday, is aimed at maintaining Bangkok as a leading destination for tourists after the city recently won an award from US-based magazine Travel & Leisure. Mr Apirak said all tourist sites would be developed.

Early this month Bangkok was voted the top city in the world by readers of the travel magazine, followed by Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Sydney and Florence.

Mr Apirak attributed Bangkok's success to the city's many selling points - its arts, culture and traditions, which date back 225 years.

Bangkok is also noted for its beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere as well as the vast array of food available, from five-star restaurants to street stalls.

The city's other strengths are its shopping venues, the friendliness of its people and its value for money, he said.

"The award is a testament to City Hall's hard work," he said, referring to the BMA's campaign to promote the city's five charms - its culture, the river, shopping, night life and food.
Therdchai Choibamroong of the Thailand Research Fund said more people would make Bangkok their next stop after seeing the magazine, which sells more than 900,00 copies a month.


Bangkok Post | General news | Bangkok gears up to attract more tourists

Originally Posted by zehner

1 Sydney 86.49 2 Melbourne 80.35 3 Queenstown. New Zealand 79.95 4 Perth 77.78 5 Hobart 77.38

What shite!! Hobart FFS!!!

Originally Posted by jimbo

That seems so unbelievable to me. I love Bangkok, but....."best??"

Me too Jimbo...but Bangkok isn't Thailand...and it is Thailand I love.

Originally Posted by zehner

[B]
Bangkok is also noted for its beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere

^that made me giggle too