AUSTRALIANS PUT PHUKET IN WORLD TOP TEN
According to statistics released by leading hotel booking website wotif.com, Australians have changed their travel pattern and are now visiting Asia more than ever before.
Phuket has climbed in to the site’s Top 10 world destinations over the past couple of years.
Wotif’s Marketing Director for Asia, Kristy Harrison, points out that Asia’s gains have come at the expense of some big rivals in Europe.
Below are Wotif’s league tables:
Top 10 Overseas Destinations 2004
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- London, UK
- Singapore
- Paris, France
- Kowloon, China
- Dublin, Ireland
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Rome, Italy
Top 10 Overseas Destinations 2008
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Singapore
- Bangkok, Thailand
- London, UK
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Hong Kong (Kowloon), China
- Hong Kong (Island), China
- Phuket, Thailand
- Fiji
Top 10 Overseas Destinations 2009 (Year to Date)
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Singapore
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Bali, Indonesia
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- London, UK
- Hong Kong (Kowloon), China
- Hong Kong (Island), China
- Phuket, Thailand
Paris, Dublin and Rome are not in the preferred destination maps of Australian travelers anymore. For Phuket to have been one of the replacing attractions for these cities is no surprise, Harrison said.
The trend noted by Wotif with regard to Phuket is consistent with the info obtained three months ago. At that time, Promchote Traivite, Phuket’s Tourism and Sports Office Director, reported that statistics for the first quarter of 2009 showed Australia was the number one source of tourist arrivals to Phuket.