For the calendar year 2011, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has revealed that a record number of 917,832 Indians travelled to Thailand in comparison to 791,185 in 2010, making it the number one destination for Indians with a growth rate in excess of 16% in 2011. In 2012, this growth is continuing with 210,722 Indians visiting Thailand from January to March, representing an increase of 1.64% over the same period in 2011. With its wide range of “value for money” offerings that include leisure sports, fine dining, adventure services, wellness and quality hotels and resorts, Thailand has been consistently increasing in popularity among Indians from all parts of the country. Travel agents, tour operators and even niche segment travel trade members have actively been working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in launching new packages that encourage first-time and repeat travelers. Packages that included destinations such as Pattaya and Phuket have now been further enhanced to include new beach destinations such as Ko Samui, Hua Hin and Krabi. Mountainous regions of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have also become attractive for the corporate sector in addition to adventure seekers. More than a year of peaceful politics in Thailand is translating into a big resurgence in tourism to Pattaya, with arrivals during the low season up 63 percent over a year ago. Total numbers for 2011 also show visitors are coming back to the Land of Smiles. Total arrivals in Pattaya jumped 14.3 percent in 2011, with more than 8 million tourists staying in the city, compared with about 7 million the year before. The record numbers brought about 80 billion baht in tourist revenue to Pattaya.TAT are hoping for 9 million tourists by year-end. From thailand-business-news