Friendly and food-obsessed, hedonistic and historic, cultured and curious, Thailand lures visitors with a smile as golden as the nation's glittering temples and tropical beaches.

A Bountiful Table

Loved around the globe, Thai cuisine expresses fundamental elements of Thai culture: it…

The high-rises and neon lights occupy the foreground of the tourist image, the normal Thai community is still the farming town, and you need not venture far to come across a more conventional scene of fishing communities, rubber plantations and Buddhist temples.

Around 40% of Thais make their living from the land, based around the staple rice, which forms the structure of the nation's distinct and famously advanced cuisine.

Tourism has been simply one factor…