Bangkok rated favorite destination among 10 Asian cities
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Bangkok, the Thai capital, was voted by foreign tourists as the most attractive city to visit among 10 of the 11 member cities of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC 21), with Thai food the most attractive factor, Thai News Agency online reported Wednesday.
With a score of 7.19 out of 10, Bangkok got the highest score in the "Bangkok Poll", which was launched by Bangkok University to rank 10 cities of the network except Myanmar's Yangon. Japan's Tokyo was voted the second most attractive city.
The 8th Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21(ANMC 21) was held during November 1 - 4 in Bangkok, concerning sustainable tourism policy dialogue and a report on measures against Influenza A/H1N1. The 11 member cities comprise Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, and Yangon.
The survey was conducted from 31 October to 1 November among some 500 foreign tourists in Bangkok. Among the five factors that draw tourists to Bangkok, Thai food counted as around 20 percent as being of interest of foreigners the most, while the city's historical sites and ancient remains came second at 19 percent.
Thai hospitality rated 16 percent, while local culture placed fourth and the capital's shopping centers placed last at 15 percent.
Thailand's political situation was considered by some 80 percent of respondents as having only a slight effect on their decisions to travel to Thailand.
The most impressive tourist attractions in Bangkok are the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple, according to the survey.
The average respondents' satisfaction score out of 10 for their trip to Bangkok was around 7. Food and drinks were the most satisfactory items, given the score of 8.56, while Bangkok weather scored lowest at 4.62.
Above all, some 77 percent of the respondents said they would revisit Bangkok, 3 percent said they would not, while 19 per cent were uncertain.
A total of 91 percent of the tourists said they would advise their families and friends to travel to Bangkok.
