Skip links

Free District

Health Science Online

Main navigation

Thailand

Top Tourist Destinations in the World: Bangkok Beats London

Last updated on | By | | 6 views

Bangkok edged the 2016 listing of 132 cities, beating London, Paris and Dubai to become top tourist destinations in the world in the MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities.

The British capital topped the 2015 ranking of global destinations, but Mastercard did not say why some of its shine had rubbed off for travelers this year.

Bangkok is well connected by air to the rest of the world and there are two airports in the city.

The British capital topped the 2015 ranking of global destinations, but Mastercard did not say why some of its shine had rubbed off for travelers this year.

The two cities have topped the ranking for most of its history.

Bangkok is a mix of exotic flavors and fragrances, Thai food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world and one can experience authentic Thai food at almost every nook and corner of Bangkok. From street vendors and stalls at markets selling mouth-watering Pad Thai to fine dining restaurants offering international cuisines, you will never run out of options in Bangkok when it comes to food.

Thailand expects to welcome a record 33 million visitors this year, thanks to a jump in the number of Chinese tourists.

Sprawling Bangkok is projected to receive 21.47 million international visitors in 2016, just ahead of second-ranked London, with 19.88 million visitors making it as top tourist destinations in the world.

Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is a large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple.

“It isn’t a flash in the pan. Bangkok is in a strong position to be the top destination city for a long time,” Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Mastercard chief economist, told Reuters.

“There’s the value for money, especially for visitors coming from high-income countries.”

Tourism in Bangkok has been one of the rare bright spots for Thailand, which has grappled with weak consumer confidence and exports after a 2014 coup.

Thai farmers sue government over rice

Last updated on | By | | 0 views

Thailand— Thai farmers sue government over rice in 2014 report: A group of 50 farmers have filed the first civil court lawsuit against the government of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, demanding a total of 19 million baht (US$583,000) in compensation for crops submitted under the rice-pledging scheme.

The government owes a total of about 130 billion baht (US$4 billion) to over one million farmers nationwide under the programme, according to reports.

Farm representatives and lawyers supplied the court with pledging tickets issued by the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) when the rice was delivered to the warehouses, said Rawee Ruangruang, acting chair of the Network of Thai Farmers for Reclaiming Money under the Rice Pledging Scheme.

He said over 100 farmers under the network have been affected by the overdue payments, and that more farmers will file lawsuits when they complete the necessary documentation, according to reports.

The highest claim for the group was 300,000 baht (US$9,200).

The network is also considering filing criminal lawsuit against the government for fraud, said Mr Rawee.

The government says it has tried several different means of getting the money to pay the Thai farmers, including borrowing from commercial banks.

But no banks want to get involved with lending money to the government for fear of a crisis of confidence and damage to their reputations.

State-run banks have been criticized by anti-government protesters for wanting to lend money to the government.

Some farmers are threatening to withdraw their deposits from the state-run Krungthai Bank (KTB) if it does not offer loans for the rice-scheme to meet overdue payments.

Thai farmers are suffering because the caretaker government has no money to make payments due them several months ago, said Wichian Puanglamjiag, chairman of the Thai Farmers Association.

The farmers have no money for daily expenses or to make overdue debt payments, he said.

Mr Wichian claimed that no banks have offered the government the needed loans because they are afraid of People’s Democratic Reform Committee protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who Mr Wichian says has threatened that banks offering loans to the government will face a problem.

Thai farmers, Kriengkrai Chaimongkol, a leader of a farmers’ group in Phayao’s Dok Kham Tai district which is also about to file civil and criminal court cases against the government, said “The farmers’ problem is about living, not politics. Villagers used to admire the policies of Thaksin Shinawatra and even now they still like them. However, we have to separate the problem and the policy”.