Bangkok (Thailand) – April 13, 2015 – French travelers have ranked Thailand fourth among their five favorite dream travel destinations for 2015 in a recent survey conducted by the Paris-based market research company Ipsos. The ranking is based on a total of 44,000 votes from French respondents, including private individuals and representatives of the tourism industry. The USA came in first place (31 percent), Australia second (26 percent), New Zealand and Canada tied for third (22 percent), Thailand fourth (19 percent), and Mexico fifth (18 percent).

According to the survey, 32 percent of French respondents will increase their travel budget in 2015 (52 percent of whom cited higher savings as the reason), while a further 24 percent may reduce their travel budget.

According to Ipsos, the average travel budget of French travelers is expected to return to the 2013 level this year, at 4,900 euros per couple per year, after falling to 4,800 euros in 2014.

Ms. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Acting Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Deputy Governor of the TAT for International Marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas), said: “This great news reinforces Thailand’s reputation as a popular destination among international tourists. It also clearly demonstrates that Thailand’s continuous efforts to promote the country’s tourism offerings and steadily improve the travel experience have created a positive image for the country.”

France is Thailand's fourth most important source market for European tourists, after Russia, Great Britain, and Germany. In 2014, Thailand welcomed 632,242 French tourists, an increase of 3.4 percent compared to 2013. This growth continued in January of this year, with a rise of 7.8 percent to 78,391 tourists from France.

In the first six months of 2014, a total of 312,460 French tourists visited Thailand, contributing approximately 20 billion baht to Thai economic growth. Their average length of stay was 17.32 days, and their average daily expenditure was 3,699.87 baht.

Ms. Juthaporn Rerngronasa explained: “We expect a total of 657,500 travelers from France to come to Thailand this year to experience Thai culture, which is becoming increasingly well-known worldwide. Since the beginning of the year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has been promoting the country as part of the ‘Discover Thainess 2015’ campaign and aims to raise awareness of the Kingdom’s offerings through marketing activities, promotions, and an interactive online presence.”

International Public Relations Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand, 1600 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Ratchathevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Tel.: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48, Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419, E-mail: [email protected]