THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: British long-haul tailor-made tour operator and retailer, Travelmood, has forecast that Thailand will be the best value for money travel destination for Britons in 2010.

Travelmood, who offer package travel deals around the world has issued an “extrAValue” brochure of holidays with added value offers, with Thailand offering the widest variety and the offers with the biggest savings.

Deals include free room upgrades, free nights stays, meals and spa treatments, as well as early booking bonuses.

An example of the deals on offer is a two-week stay for the price of one at the four-star La Flora resort in Khao Lak starting at £999 (about Bt53,487/$US1606) per person – a saving of £350 (Bt18,739/$US562) off the standard rate.

The La Flora resort Khao Lak promotion includes accommodation, daily breakfast and return, economy class flights with Eva Air from Heathrow. Increasing the value of the package, the La Flora resort Khao Lak is providing a complimentary 60-minute Thai massage, a welcome drink, flowers and a fruit platter on arrival, free use of the fitness room and tennis court, a 10 percent discount on food and a 15 percent discount on spa treatments.

Rad Sofronijevic, managing director of Travelmood, said the trend in the UK during 2009 was people booking holidays at the last minute – often only six or eight weeks prior to departure.

“In response to that, the hotels and airlines in many of the destinations we program are offering superb deals for customers who book early. Thailand is definitely more affordable in 2010 than it was in 2009 because of the great value-added deals around”, he said.

More than 850,000 British citizens visit Thailand each year, making it one of Thailand’s most important inbound tourism markets.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for January 4, 2010