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Resurgence of interest in Thailand
Tsunami-hit Thailand is showing signs of recovery as a tourist destination, according to online travel price comparison website Cheaflights.co.uk.
The country dropped out of the company’s top 30 holiday destinations in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami tragedy but has returned at 16th position at the end of March. Thailand was in 11th place prior to the tsunami hitting the region.
Cheapflights chief executive David Soskin said: “It is great to see Thailand back in the top 20. It was not as badly hit by the tsunami as some of the other countries in the region and is heavily dependent on tourism.
“Phuket is now almost entirely back in operation and British travellers are back looking for great deals to this, one of the most famous holiday islands in the world.”
The company also revealed huge interest in Rome prior to the funeral of Pope John Paul II today.
Mr Soskin said: “The surge in interest to Rome is quite remarkable. I have never known any event, not the World Cup or Olympics nor any festival, to have had the sort of effect on flight enquiries that the Pope’s funeral is having amongst British travellers.
“Cheaflights.co.uk gets three million users a month. For Rome to reach a top 5 destination is quite amazing as previously the Eternal City had never made it even to our top 10. It puts Rome on a par this week with the two big city destinations – London and New York – and the holiday hotspots of Malaga and Tenerife.
“It suggests there will be a massive attendance from the UK and Ireland on Friday.”
Report by Phil Davies
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