More people taking holidays to Thailand, research shows

Figures from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) showed that Thailand was among the strongest-performing destinations in the south-east Asian region.

As a whole, the area experienced a 15 per cent jump in international visitor numbers during November 2009, with Singapore and Vietnam also proving popular among holidaymakers.

Kris Lim, director of PATA's strategic alliance centre, described the report as "encouraging" and added that tour companies in the region can "look with greater confidence to the year ahead".

The assertion that Thailand will continue to be popular among travellers during 2010 was borne out by research released from the Post Office earlier this month.

According to its Travel Money service, the Thai baht became the tenth most-requested currency in 2009, with purchases up by 15 per cent compared with the previous year.