Phuket Named Top Wellness Destination by Canadian Travellers in 2026

Phuket has been named the top wellness destination by Canadian travellers in the 2026 Travellers’ Top Picks Awards, organised by Air Canada Vacations.

The result was announced on September 25 by Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksamisaengchan. Phuket received the highest number of votes in the Wellness category following a public vote that attracted more than 1.3 million votes across all 10 award categories.

The award was presented during the Air Canada Vacations Toronto Product Launch at Universal Event Space in Toronto.

The Travellers’ Top Picks Awards were launched last year and allow Canadians to vote for their preferred travel destinations through the programme’s website. More than 1.3 million votes were recorded across the 10 categories in this year’s edition.

Ploythalay said the result demonstrated Canadian travellers’ interest in Thailand’s range of health and wellness experiences.

She also linked the recognition to Thailand’s Value-led Tourism strategy, which aims to focus on the quality and value of tourism experiences rather than simply increasing visitor numbers.

Canada remains an important tourism market

Canada continues to be an important long-haul market for Thailand.

Government figures show that 180,510 Canadian tourists visited Thailand between January 1 and September 21, 2026. This represented a 2.35% increase compared with the same period in 2025.

Canada ranked ninth among Thailand’s long-haul tourism markets during the period.

Ploythalay said the Phuket award could help attract more Canadian visitors interested in higher-value travel experiences while creating opportunities to increase tourism revenue and support more sustainable tourism development.

The government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plan to build on the recognition by strengthening cooperation in the health and wellness tourism sector.

The initiative forms part of Thailand’s broader goal of developing the country as a global health and wellness destination while generating sustainable tourism income.