Thai turmoil prompts interest in alternative Asia
Tuesday, 14 Apr, 2010
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Other Asian countries are gaining interest from UK travellers due to on-going political unrest in Thailand.
Travel price and comparison website Cheapflights UK says British travellers are switching to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia as Thailand declares fourth state of emergency in two years.
While search figures to Thailand are still up 39% on last year, it falls behind the rising popularity of other East Asian nations with similar offerings, according to the company.
Indonesia is leading the way with a 116% rise on last year, followed by Vietnam, up by 94% followed by Malaysia at 79%.
“While Thailand has long been a British favourite, neighbouring East Asian countries have experienced a dramatic rise in search recently and we are starting to see a popularity shift into places like Vietnam,” said Cheapflights UK travel expert Nadine Hallak.
Vietnam works out to be slightly cheaper or equal to Thailand, depending on the purchase, according to Cheapflights figures. For example, a beer in Thailand is approximately £1.56 where as a beer in Vietnam costs 90p. The price of a taxi in Thailand is estimated at £1.22 per kilometre, where as in Vietnam it is about 33p per kilometre.
Meanwhile, the cost of dining out in Malaysia matches Thailand at around £5-6 per person.
Costs in Indonesia can vary, but meals start at £3, going up to around £7 or more including wine.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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