Bangkok tops Paris, London as world’s most-visited city

South Africans get the bug: Cape Town diner serves insect-only dishes

BANGKOK, Sept 4, (RTRS): Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, edged out Paris and London as the world’s most popular city to visit, according to a survey released on Wednesday, welcome news for Thailand after worries over a drop in foreign arrivals.

Bangkok was named the most-visited city for the fourth consecutive year, with about 22.8 million visitors reported in the annual rankings by MasterCard Inc.

Paris and London were ranked second and third, each with about 19.1 million arrivals, trailed by Dubai with 15.9 million.

Other Southeast Asian cities, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were fourth and fifth in the rankings, based on third-party research, proprietary analysis and public data across 200 destination cities.

New York, Istanbul, Tokyo and Antalya, Turkey, rounded out the top 10.

The number of international visitors across the 200 cities grew by 76% in the last 10 years.

Despite Bangkok’s longtime reign atop the list, the Thai tourism industry has faced headwinds, with arrivals dropping 1.03% year-on-year in May before recovering to grow 0.89% in June from a year earlier.

Tourism accounts for about 12% of Thailand’s economy.

However, weaker Chinese economic growth and a boat accident last year led to a drop off in Chinese arrivals in Thailand in the first half of this year.

Visitors

The downturn in the number of visitors from China was partially offset by Indian arrivals.

Thailand expects to welcome 2 million Indian tourists in 2019, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn, told Reuters, adding this was one year earlier than its target.

In August, the government extended a waiver of a 2,000 baht ($65) fee for visa-on-arrivals for tourists from 18 countries including those from China and India.

A growing middle class and increasing wealth in populations and the rise of low-cost airlines will make travel more accessible, Minor Hotels Chief Executive, Dilip Rajakrier, said in an email.

“Given only less than 10% of the China’s total population having passports today. The potential of the Chinese market will never fade,” he said.

South African chef

said he was “grossed out” and did not entirely enjoy eating grilled scorpions and crunchy insects mixed with garlic and spices on a trip to Thailand four years ago.

But the experience inspired Barnard to start experimenting with insect-based meals and in July he opened a pop-up restaurant in Cape Town’s trendy Woodstock suburb that only serves bug meals.

“Insect Experience” is the first restaurant in South Africa to serve insect-only meals, Barnard said, though they have proven increasingly popular in various countries around the world.

Barnard has teamed up with local start-up Gourmet Grubb, who turn black soldier fly larvae into protein powder and milk, which can be used to make insect-based ice cream. “A couple of months ago I met

and (of Gourmet Grubb) and they’ve got the same problem as me, where we don’t like the insect as it is in its whole form, so we decided to do it in a powder form and make gourmet dishes,” Barnard told Reuters at the pop-up restaurant.

Adventurous customers can try small bowls of insects, including mealworms, as well as larger dried mopane worms, which are already considered a delicacy in some African countries.

Original

“People are looking for new things to do and it’s been going well,” Barnard said, adding that his pop-up restaurant would remain open until November – well beyond the original closure date – after launching in July.

Diners at “Insect Experience” can also tuck into mopane polenta fries with tomato chilli chutney or black soldier fly butternut ravioli with roasted chilli garlic sauce, both reasonably priced at 50 rand ($3.28) a meal.

The ravioli is made from a mix of around 50 percent insect powder and flour, said Barnard, as he waited for a new batch of termites and crickets to arrive.

“It’s good for the environment and it’s the food of the future,” he said, adding they looked to expand their range into bug beer, biscuits and even dog food.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has said insects emit fewer greenhouse gases and less ammonia than cattle or pigs, require much less land and water, and that there are more than 1,900 edible insect species.

Scientists have touted insect-based food as a sustainable and cheap food that is high in protein, fibre and minerals.

“I’ve never eaten insects before. It didn’t taste like insect,” said one satisfied customer at Insect Experience, “It tasted like croquettes, it tasted like potatoes and chickpea with a slightly nutty, spicy flavour. I enjoyed it.”