With its endless array of air-conditioned shopping malls, bustling street markets and quirky boutique stores, Bangkok has rightfully attained a reputation as an oasis for shopaholics, brand addicts and bargain hunters, attracting wide-eyed consumers from the region and further afield.
In a recent Asia Pacific report released by Global Shopper Index, a collaboration between the Economist Intelligence Unit and Global Blue to discover the region’s top shopping destination, Thailand’s capital took seventh spot with an overall score 57 out of 100, a few points ahead of Tokyo and Seoul, the Nation reported.
“I want to congratulate all the Asia-Pacific globe shopper cities for their success in attracting globe shoppers. Expansion of the Globe Shopper Index to include cities in Asia-Pacific demonstrates Global Blue’s dedication to ensuring the best possible experience for travel shoppers,’ Per Setterberg, Global Blue President and CEO said.
The rating is compiled based on scores from categories judging the experience the city offers shoppers, including quality of shops, affordability, convenience, hotels and transport and culture and climate. While Bangkok scored an impressive 69 and 61 in the affordability and hotels and transport categories, the use of foreign language, price negotiation and strictness of visa regulations hampered the final rating.
From the 25 Asia Pacific cities assessed, Hong Kong achieved the highest score of 68.5, closely followed by Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai with 65 and 62 respectively.
