Thailand has been named as the World Best Tourist Country in the 2005 Grand Travel Award held in Norway early this month, the Thai News Agency said on Wednesday.

It is the third consecutive year Thailand won the award with Greece and Italy coming second and third.

Chitriya Pinthong, Thai Ambassador to Norway, and Nattheera Kachornserilikitkul, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand' s Stockholm Office in Sweden, represented Thailand at the annual award presentation ceremony.

The accolade was granted to Thailand under the deliberation and decision by the Travel Trade Jury and 300 tour companies in Norway.

It shows tourists remain impressed by the friendliness of Thai people, as well as natural beauties and charms of Thailand's tourist sites although the country experienced a great loss from the tsunami disaster in late December 2004, the official News Agency said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2006)