Bangkok/Paris  – French travelers retain great confidence in Thailand as a long-haul travel destination according to figures recently released by a leading travel website in France, which shows the kingdom is the most search for destination by online search engines.

France’s most popular travel website Le Quotidien du Tourisme.com (www.quotidiendutourisme.com) has reported in an online posting on 4 June, that Thailand ranked top in all destination searches made online according to its online statistics, which recorded a total of 1.359 billion page views  in the three months from March to May 2014.

These numbers are all the more impressive when it is considered that they were registered at the height of Thailand’s recent political turmoil when there was worry that the kingdom’s tourist industry might be badly affected.

While Thailand held the top spot in terms of searches, Greece came in the second place with 1.351 billion page views, followed by Corsica with 1.238 billion page views, New York with 1.222 billion page views, and Italy with 1.201 billion page views.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) welcomed the good news, saying the fact that so many people are seeking information about Thailand as a holiday venue proves that the kingdom remains an appealing destination for travellers from France.

Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT Governor said, “We are glad that French tourists still feel confident in travelling to Thailand. We would like to assure everyone that the country remains peaceful and safe and can now offer a much greater variety of fun and entertainment and exotic outings in all major tourist destinations.”

France is Thailand’s fourth largest source of visitor arrivals from Europe, after Russia, the UK and Germany. In 2013, French visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 614,455, an increase of 6.66 per cent over 2012.

From January to April 2014, Thailand welcomed 267,251 visitors from France, an increase of 8.18 per cent over the same period of last year. TAT projects visitor numbers from France to reach over 636,400 by the end of 2014.

The TAT Governor said, “As a matter of fact, it isn’t just our French friends who are looking to come here. As the situation in Bangkok continues to improve, tourists from all major markets are coming back with full confidence that Thailand remains a safe and welcoming destination.”