BANGKOK - Thailand has won the "best tourist country" award given by Sweden for the ninth consecutive year, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Related readings:  Tourism spending to see a big surge: survey  Hainan to boost growth with IPOs  Chinese tourists replace Russians as top shopper  Individual tourists to be allowed to visit islands

The award was given by Grand Travel Award, the most prestigious tourism industry award of Sweden, at a presentation ceremony held on Feb 16 in Stockholm, the ministry said in a statement.

The award was sponsored annually by Travel News, the leading travel magazine in Sweden, since 1993.

In 2011, eight countries were nominated for the best tourist country award, including the United States and Australia.

Meanwhile, Bangkok will hold an international food fair at three different venues in three different periods of time in March and April this year.

Under the theme "BKK International Food Fair: All Time with Rich in Happiness," the fair will be held on March 2-6 at Siam Paragon shopping complex, March 16-20 at a public park near Emporium shopping complex and March 30 to April 3 at CentralWorld shopping complex.

The three venues are all located in central Bangkok.