{
  "id": 9959058,
  "title": "Phuket voted top wellness destination by Canadians in 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/phuket-voted-top-wellness-destination-by-canadians-in-2026",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-25T09:05:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Thaiger",
    "slug": "the-thaiger",
    "url": "https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/phuket-voted-top-wellness-destination-canadians-2026"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Phuket has been named the top wellness destination by Canadian travellers in the 2026 Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, according to the Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksamisaengchan. The award was presented at the Air Canada Vacations Toronto Product Launch, which took place on September 25. More than 1.3 million votes were cast across 10 categories during the public vote. Ploythalay stated that Phuket’s success reflects Canadian travellers’ appreciation for Thailand’s diverse health and wellness offerings. She also connected the award to Thailand’s Value-led Tourism strategy, which places emphasis on providing valuable travel experiences and boosting tourism growth, rather than simply increasing visitor numbers. Canada remains a significant long-haul tourism market for Thailand, with 180,510 Canadian tourists visiting the country from January 1 to September 21, 2026, marking a 2.35% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. The government and Thailand’s Tourism Authority plan to leverage the Phuket wellness award to attract more high-value Canadian visitors, generate more tourism revenue, and promote sustainable travel experiences.",
  "summary": "Phuket has been voted the top wellness destination by Canadian travellers at the 2026 Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, organised by Air Canada Vacations, following a public vote that attracted more than 1.3 million votes. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksamisaengchan announced the result today, September 25, saying Phuket received the most votes in the Wellness category. … The story…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}