Bangkok’s status as one of the world’s most popular destinations was reaffirmed recently with the city winning accolades as the World’s Second most “Liked City” on Instagram, as judged by airport transfer company Hoppa, and voted Sixth Best Overall City in the World, and Third Best in Asia, by readers of influential travel publication Travel + Leisure. Other destinations in Thailand; such as, Phuket and Pattaya were also singled out for praise.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “Instagram is where the world keeps its holiday snaps, so it’s nice to see that Bangkok creates so many happy memories. People ‘like’ the kingdom for its vibrant atmosphere and amazing food and culture. This is also why Bangkok has been on Travel + Leisure’s ‘World Best Cities’ list for 20 years, testament to the capital’s longstanding attractions that encourage people to keep coming back.”
Airline transfer company Hoppa’s report into the most “shared” cities on photo-sharing platform Instagram looked at 50,000 photos taken over the course of a month in the world’s 50 most visited destinations, according to website brlliantmaps.com. The pictures were also examined to find what types of post were most popular in each destination. Bangkok came second in terms of “liked” photos with Los Angeles taking the first place. London and Taipei came fourth and fifth.
Research has shown that “likes” on popular social media sites; such as, Instagram are increasingly becoming a factor for people deciding which destinations to travel to. A report by travel site Amadeusidentified one group of travellers as “Social Capital Seekers” who use social media, updates, real experiences and “likes” from friends and family to guide their decision making about places to visit, rather than being swayed by marketing. These people also travel to certain destinations based on their social media credibility.
Destinations in the Hoppa survey were also separated into subcategories – selfies, couples, scenery, shopping and food. The researchers found that uploaded photos with the most “likes” were those with bright scenery, eye-catching cuisine and famous landmarks. Thailand’s holiday island of Phuket came first for numbers of food posts, in front of Shanghai and Guangzhou. The resort town of Pattaya took fifth place on the culinary list. This is testament to Thailand’s fine dining with its colourful tasty dishes that people love to share with friends via photographs.
