Representing Thailand’s capital and receiving an award naming the Thai capital by Travel + Leisure magazine as the World’s Best City 2010 in a survey conducted among its readers, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra is the highest profile ambassador for normality to have hit the Big Apple since the Big Mango’s days of blazes and bombs in May.

Ranked top in both the World and Asia, scoring 90.30, Bangkok shot to the top of the reader survey based on an earlier time frame, followed by Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai.

Thailand’s Samui Island and Phuket Island in the South were ranked fourth and the fifth respectively among Best Islands in Asia.

At a glittering ceremony at Manhattan’s Trump Soho Hotel, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand met Travel + Leisure editor-in-chief Nancy Novgorod, which carried out the survey.

Ms Novgorod praised the beauty of Bangkok and Thailand in their natural and cultural aspects.

She expressed sorrow over the recent turmoil but recovery would come soon and that she would visit Bangkok again.

Gov Sukhumbhand was delighted on behalf of Bangkok residents and the Thai people for the award as they put their efforts together to continue to make Bangkok the world’s best city for living and travelling.

The Bangkok governor called for the City of Angels citizenry to continue its traditional hospitality in welcoming tourists and said he would push forward to develop the city to be the World’s best city for tourism.

“Tourists are our guests. We must help them to enjoy staying in Bangkok safely,” he said.

Srisuda Wanapinyosak, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), New York office said both Thai and Bangkok tourism is recovering with more air ticket bookings.

TAT held road shows to give the fact to tourists, tour agencies and air ticket providers in New York, Boston and Washington, DC.

Travel + Leisure, the world's leading travel magazine, held its annual World’s Best Awards Readers’ Survey for the 15th consecutive year.

Readers were asked to help define excellence in travel by rating airlines, hotels, travel destinations and more.