Thailand is the only country to have three city's listed among the 20 most-visited destinations in the world, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) 2018.

For the third year running, Bangkok can lay claim to being the world’s most-visited city, pipping London and Paris to top spot. 

According to the GDCI, Bangkok welcomed 20.05 million travelers in 2017, with average stays of 4.7 nights, and average spends of B5,500 a day. 

Phuket placed 12th with 9.29 million tourists and Pattaya 18th, with 8.67 million visitors. 

According to a statement from Mastercard, Thailand's positive showing in the top 20 is a reflection of stable infrastructure, a strong mix of business and leisure visits, its unique culture and affordability when compared with other global metropolitan areas.

However, it's not all rosy on the tourism front, with the latest stats suggesting the number of Chinese visitors to Thailand dropped by 12 percent in August to near a 16-month low.