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Thailand top destination for independent travellers (The Nation)



 
 
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Old January 26th, 2004, 10:16 PM
George Moore
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Default Thailand top destination for independent travellers (The Nation)

http://bangkokpost.net/en/220104_Hor...04_hori02.html

SURVEY

Thailand gets pride of place

Independent travellers give their vote of confidence by choosing
Thailand as their favourite travel destination

Young foreign backpacking tourists walking past a poster in downtown
Bangkok.
Independent travellers from around the globe voted Thailand as their
favourite travel destination, a Lonely Planet survey has revealed. The
online survey to mark Lonely Planet's 30th anniversary year is the
world's most authoritative independent travel survey to date with over
7500 respondents from over 134 countries, from the Arctic to Zimbabwe.

Despite Sars and the ongoing threat of terrorism, a third of all
respondents nominated Asia to be their favourite region, with Europe a
close second on 30%, and South/Central America on 13%. Over 50% of
respondents from Asia voted their own region the best. Similarly,
South Americans also preferred their own region.

Thailand is considered the most hospitable country, receiving 20% of
the overall vote, followed by Australia (13%) and New Zealand (11%).
Within Asia, Thailand (14:4%) outstripped Australia (5.8%) as the most
hospitable country. Meanwhile, New Zealanders demonstrated their
patriotism by voting themselves the most hospitable!

Thirty years ago when Lonely Planet began, the average independent
traveller was a hippy backpacker looking for an alternative lifestyle.
The survey finds a very different picture now _ the typical
independent traveller of the 21st century is a professional, with a
degree or postgraduate qualification.

Aged from 25 to 34 years old they travel on a mid-range budget, taking
trips of one to the months' duration which combine adventure,
activity, relaxation and culture.

The backpackers of the 1980s and '90s are still travelling but have
refined their travel habits and choose their destinations and travel
style carefully. Almost half of all respondents have been to over 16
countries and a third travel as a couple.

Travellers were asked to name their dream destination and answers
varied widely from Antarctica to South America to round the world
trips. The results clearly showed how strong the desire still is to
reach those undiscovered corners of the world _ and that travel has
become a necessary escape from the pressures of modern life.

Asked what the next big thing in travel was, respondents came up with
a variety of predictions, including: space travel, more independent
travel, more train travel and short breaks, and an increase in travel
by older people and Chinese nationals.

Naturally all respondents believed travel is important, the vast
majority saying that "it broadens the mind". Outside of these, there
was a mixture of the profound; "travel is the University of Life" and
"travel is fatal to bigotry and narrow-mindedness", to the jocular
"who wouldn't want to be Indiana Jones?" and "it's a buzz!"

Other remarkable findings:

- The top five favourite countries: Thailand, Italy, Australia, India,
and then New Zealand.

- In a regional breakdown for Asia: favourite countries nominated were
Thailand, China and India.

- Favourite country by age range: Thailand topped the poll in the
18-34 year old bracket whilst 35-44 year olds preferred India.

- Although New Zealand is generally regarded as an adventure holiday
destination _ the over 65s nominated it their favourite country.

- 32% travel as a couple, 28% with friends, 28% go solo, 8% with
family and only 3% go in an organised group.

- More than 80% of respondents said they purchase a guidebook more
than six weeks in advance. In a regional breakdown, over 52% in
India/Asia purchase more than eight weeks in advance. Overall 3% don't
buy a book at all.

- A whopping 87% of respondents travel without children, indicating
that independent travel with children still isn't common.

- Most independent travellers are highly educated with 50% of
respondents holding a degree and 28% holding a postgraduate degree.

- Respondents had diverse tastes; nominating 183 countries out of a
possible 212.

- And in a separate survey of Lonely Planet staff around the world,
New Zealand was voted the top destination for 2004 for the second year
running.

http://bangkokpost.net

panviman wrote in message . ..
Representing 60% of tourists in Jan-Sept 2003.

panviman

The Nation:

Thailand is tops, globe-trotters say

Published on Jan 16, 2004


Thailand has been named the world's top destination by independent
travellers.

The Kingdom and Italy stand neck-and-neck as the favourite
destinations of independent travellers who responded to a survey by
Lonely Planet travel guides released on Wednesday.

The "Land of Smiles" pipped Italy by just four votes after 7,500
responses received from 134 countries from the Arctic to Zimbabwe, in
a survey marking the 30th anniversary of the Lonely Planet publishing
house.

The top-five hot spots for go-it-alone travellers are, in order of
preference, Thailand, Italy, Australia, India and New Zealand.

But they are by no means the only names on the scoreboard - out of 212
countries recognised by the United Nations, 183 are mentioned by the
travellers.

Respondents are dedicated do-it-yourself travellers. A third (32 per
cent) of those questioned travel as a couple, 28 per cent go with
friends, 28 per cent go alone and 8 per cent as a family. Only 3 per
cent take trips through a travel agent.

Thailand was also voted one of five top destinations for 2004 by
Lonely Planet's globe-trotting staff writers, according to its website
(www.lonelyplanet.com). The others are New Zealand, Australia, Peru
and Croatia.

The Kingdom is praised for its compelling combination of culture,
countryside and calm.

"I just got back from Thailand for the fourth time," went one typical
comment, "and it has simply the best food and culture of anywhere I've
been."

"Thailand has it all - and it's cheap," the report concluded.

"Despite Sars and the terrorist threats, Asia is at the top with a
third of the votes, followed by Europe (30 per cent)," the
Australia-based Lonely Planet said. "Asians and South Americans place
their own continents at the top of the list."

"Thirty years ago when Lonely Planet was founded, the profile of the
traveller was completely different," the publisher said.

"In the 1970s, it was the hippie searching for a different way of
life. Today, it's the executive, educated, aged between 25 and 34
years, ready to dedicate a relatively substantial budget to the trip,
which may last between one and three months.

"Culture, idle pleasure and sports activities now figure in the
programme," added the study, carried out over the Internet during
three weeks in November.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, some 4,148,762
independent travellers visited Thailand last year between January to
September. This represented 60 per cent of all tourists for the
period.

"It's Thailand's culture and people that bring many travellers from
around the world," said Monica Ramari, a travel agent who has visited
Thailand and Southeast Asia for 15 years.

"Chiang Mai and Phuket are popular, and that's no problem. But I have
found that many independent travellers like to see the countryside in
the Isaan region, like Buri Ram. It helps them get away from the
tourists, so they can experience the real Thai culture."

Many young travellers, who are often on a "gap" year between school
and university or taking a career break, find they can travel around
on Bt650 a day when they're here.

Further, Thailand is a convenient gateway to other destinations such
as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia's Angkor Wat, for example, is
only four hours by road from the eastern border town of Aranyaprathet,
in Sa Kaew.

The Nation, Agencies

© Nation Multimedia Group

 




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