Thailand gets the ‘Best Tourist Destination’ award at Norway

Thailand was voted as the “Best Tourist Destination” and Thai Airways International the “Best International Airline” at the Norwegian Grand Travel Awards 2009 ceremony held in Norway’s capital city, Oslo.

Thailand has won the ‘best destination’ category for the sixth consecutive year at this award. Nine other countries were nominated by a jury of travel trade representatives, and a random selection taken from more than 400 travel agents located across Norway voted.

The award was received by the Thai ambassador to Norway, Jullapong Nonsrichai, and Manit Boonchim, the director for Scandinavia at the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Nonsrichai said that it was a vote of continued confidence by Norwegians in Thailand as a travel destination, in spite of the country’s recent political instability that led to the closure of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports late last year. He told the attendees the situation has improved significantly since that time and that the government is working toward restoring the confidence of foreign visitors.