Bangkok earned the prestigious title of top city for digital nomads worldwide, according to a recent survey conducted by CommercialSearch, a renowned platform specialising in working and co-working spaces. The bustling metropolis outshone all its competitors in this year’s rankings of the Best Cities for Digital Nomads. CommercialSearch’s evaluation process involved assessing cities globally with populations exceeding 400,000 residents and completing data in all their metrics. From this comprehensive list, 57 cities emerged as the top contenders, with only one city selected from each country, ensuring a diverse set of large, well-connected urban centres that present outstanding choices for those embracing the digital nomad lifestyle. Affordability, Internet speed, co-working costs, fun factor, and safety were the key factors considered for the rankings. Bangkok’s claim to fame lies in its all-round affordability, combined with stellar performance in the rest of CommercialSearch’s indicators. In terms of cost, a low-season hotel room in Bangkok averages US$51 (1,750 baht), making it the fifth-most affordable among all the cities on the list. Additionally, the Thai capital boasts the fourth and sixth lowest average meal and co-working membership costs, respectively. Internet speed is not a concern either, with the city ranking fifth among all study locations, boasting an impressive 225 MB/s. Bangkok’s allure lies in its perfect blend of affordability, entertainment, and ease of access. Digital nomads can reside in the city using a renewable travel visa every three months. Areas like Silom and downtown Bangkok are teeming with both businessmen to network with and trendy co-working spaces for those seeking a change of scenery. The city’s vibrant nightlife, delectable yet inexpensive food, and hip cafes in neighbourhoods like Thonglor only add to its appeal. Moreover, with the rest of Southeast Asia easily accessible, digital nomads can explore quiet retreats away from the charming hustle and bustle of this nine-million-resident city. In second place in the rankings is Shanghai, China. Though less affordable compared to Bangkok, Shanghai boasts faster broadband Internet. However, the Great Firewall may pose challenges for digital nomads accustomed to using certain tools and online services. Nevertheless, with its status as one of China’s major hubs for business, finance, and research, Shanghai offers ample networking opportunities, provided internet restrictions do not impede day-to-day work. In third spot is Bucharest, Romania. Bucharest mirrors Bangkok in terms of its best-scoring metrics and sits between Bangkok and Shanghai regarding hotel and co-working costs. Moreover, this Eastern European gem offers a safer environment than its predecessors. Romania takes pride in offering some of the world’s fastest Internet speeds, especially when it comes to broadband, complemented by remarkably affordable subscription costs. As an added advantage, residents from numerous countries can live and work in Romania visa-free for up to 90 days, with the country recently introducing a dedicated digital nomad visa for stays of up to a year. Bangkok has undeniably proven itself as the ultimate hotspot for digital nomads, flaunting an irresistible combination of affordability, excitement, and convenience. As remote work continues to rise in popularity, the world’s cities must continue to adapt and innovate to attract and accommodate the growing community of digital nomads. Source: thethaiger.com

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Soneva, pioneers in sustainable luxury resorts since 1995, have collaborated with WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecaster, to examine the key trends that will shape the future of luxury travellers. WGSN scoured the globe, canvassing industry experts for crucial insights, analysing cross-industry data, and using their worldwide network to track socio-cultural global shifts that will impact and disrupt the luxury travel market in the years to come. The resulting report offers a fascinating insight into our shifting priorities and how they will be met by the industry in the coming years. Socially responsible experiences take priority as we travel less but wiser, seeking meaningful engagement over simply sybaritic pleasure. With a focus on nature, the pursuit of awe and self-prioritisation, future travellers will enjoy integrating modern and ancient rituals, may pursue intentional living and be open to soul science – spirituality acting as medicine. Travel, as a chance to make profound human connections, take stock and gain wisdom, will emerge as a potent counterbalance to our always-on, overstimulated lives. Crucially, impact will matter more than ever. Future travellers will demand not only sustainability but regenerative travel that leaves a positive legacy. Revealing these changing priorities helped WGSN to profile five future travellers: The New Romantics, fuelled by a deep need to reconnect with nature, with themselves, and with the shared human experience. The Epicurean Adventurers, are driven by a curiosity for new flavours, innovation, and the authentic cuisine of different cultures. The Global Citizens, an affluent evolution of digital nomads, are equipped with the technology, desire, and resources to establish family life in multiple locations across the globe. The Wisdom Seekers, in pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement, emotional recalibration, and transformative wellness experiences; and finally, The Virtuous Voyagers, cultural custodians whose objective is to leave a positive, regenerative legacy. In response to the report, Sonu Shivdasani OBE, Soneva’s founder, and CEO, said, “At Soneva our interpretation of luxury has always beenthat of time, space and peace. We see ourselves as simply guardians of the pristine natural environments where we operate, treading lightly on our precious ecosystems and empowering both local and global environmental and community efforts. This report reaffirms our SLOW LIFEethos, which is our moral compass as well as our operating compass.” The WGSN Future Travellers white paper is available to download. For a 20-minute synopsis listen to this podcast interview between WGSN CEO, Carla Buzasi, and Soneva Founder and Guardian of Culture, Sonu Shivdasani. For more information about Soneva, visit www.soneva.com.

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Responsible travellers in Thailand – defined as those who are wellness-focused, culturally minded and care about environmental impact – most want to travel to Japan, according to YouGov’s latest report for the travel and tourism sector. YouGov Travel Rankings 2022: Travel brands through the eyes of Responsible Travellers is aimed at understanding how travel brands differentiate in the eyes of responsible travellers, and the brands and destinations that score higher in terms of consideration amongst this audience group. YouGov DestinationIndex measures the public’s perception of destinations on a daily basis across a range of measures. The destination rankings were compiled using Consideration scores from July 2021 to June 2022. After Japan – which had a Consideration score of 40.8% among responsible travellers – was South Korea (22.6). Switzerland, the highest-ranked European destination, came in third (21.4). This was followed closely by Singapore (18.0). The United States of America rounded off the top five with a Consideration score of 15.8. China (15.2), France (15.1) and Australia (13.0) were next, followed by Asian destinations Hong Kong (12.8) and Laos (12.6), which completed the rankings. Discover the leading brands and destinations in the eyes of sustainable travellers in the full report here. Methodology: YouGov publishes brand rankings yearly based on the data from our always-on brand tracker, YouGov BrandIndex and destination tracker, YouGov DestinationIndex. Both travel brands and destinations are tracked daily around the world, enabling us to consistently and accurately measure consumer attitudes towards those brands (organisations in the travel industry and countries tracked in a dedicated YouGov BrandIndex sector survey). However, instead of taking the views of a general population, we zoomed in on how those brands in the travel and tourism industry rank amongst the Responsible Traveler segment i.e., those who self-identify as wellness-focused, care about environmental impact and are culturally minded.    

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According to a study of the Mirror, the best destinations around the world are an unparalleled mix of culture, history, avant-garde creativity and culinary gems. Every year the world’s major newspapers draw up a ranking of the world’s best destination and, according to the Mirror, some of these are in Asia. Apparently tourists are attracted mainly by Asian cities. The study of the British newspaper involved 132 cities among the most visited, and from this survey a Top Ten was carried out: the results are truly amazing. As of late, destinations in Asia and the Middle East are the fastest-growing for tourists. The last position of the ranking is occupied by Hong Kong, which was visited by 8.66 million tourists (down from 8.72 millions in 2013). Next, another Asian capital, Seoul, where 10,35 million people have visited the Korean capital during 2015. Even more visited was Kuala Lumpur, the largest city in Malaysia, with a boom in visitors of 11.12 millions (up from 9.2 million in 2013). Still in Asia, another very popular destination among travelers from around the world located on the southeast end of the Malay Peninsula was Singapore with 11,88 million visitors (up from 11,75 millions in 2013). Very popular in 2015 was also Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. 14,26 million tourists have not been able to resist the charm of this desert metropolis and its extraordinary architectures (up from 9.89 million in 2013). The silver medal belongs to the wonderful city of Bangkok, Thailand: a chaotic and fascinating crossroads of culture, history, styles and eras that has enchanted 18,24 travelers. In 2013, Bangkok attracted 16 million visitors and was the world’s most visited city, barely edging out London. The best destination in the world today is indeed London: with its 18.82 million tourists, he has recorded the highest number of visitors. Which of the above Asian cities did you visited in 2015?

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