Thailand still tops

LONG HAUL: SOUTHEAST ASIA continues to be the most popular destination for long haul tourists from Ireland with Thailand topping…

LONG HAUL:SOUTHEAST ASIA continues to be the most popular destination for long haul tourists from Ireland with Thailand topping the list of most visited countries according to a new survey.

The Tropical Medical Bureau, which vaccinated over 20,000 people last year, said Thailand was the most popular destination among visitors to its clinics with India and Vietnam finishing in second and third place while Brazil and Cambodia completed the top five.

There was little change last year when compared to 2009, the survey indicated, with the top four destinations unchanged. Cambodia joined the top five, after being sixth place in 2008 and 2009. Australia dropped from fifth in 2009 to eighth last year while Argentina jumped into sixth for 2010, having been eighth in 2009. Malaysia entered the top 10 for the first time.

Dr Graham Fry of the Tropical Medical Bureau said the clinic had seen an increasing number of people travelling though South America. He said the popularity of Southeast Asia could be explained by the fact that it continued to be the most favoured stop off point for people travelling to Australia.