Kuala Lumpur has been ranked among the top three cities for business in Asia in the SmartTravelAsia.com’s 2009 Best in Travel Poll.

The Malaysian capital, ranked fourth last year, finished behind Hong Kong which remained the top city for business, followed by Singapore, while Bangkok, the “City of Angels”, dropped one rung to fourth. SmartTravelAsia.com, the region’s dedicated online travel magazine with over one million readers worldwide, said the category took in perceptions and actual experiences of business travellers in dealing with a range of factors like efficiency of transport and general services, signposting, hotels, airport and so on.

Malaysia’s low cost carrier AirAsia was voted the Best Budget Airline in Asia for the fourth consecutive year, polling 38% of the votes while Jetstar Asia and Singapore-based Tiger Airways came in second and third respectively.

The 12 category poll ran for three key months, May to July, said SmartTravelAsia.com, adding that on the average, voters took 12.84 air trips over the past 12 months, and earned US$170,401 in household income. About 60% were based in Asia, largely in Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and the Middle East, 20% in Europe and the rest in United States and North America.

In the Best Airlines Worldwide 2009 category, Singapore Airlines grabbed the top spot, as well as topping the Best Business Class and Best Cabin Service categories.

Cathay Pacific Airways and Thai Airways International came in second and third respectively while Malaysia Airlines came in eighth.

Bali, Maldives and Phuket are the top three Best Holiday Destinations in Asia, while Malaysia’s Langkawi and Penang took the sixth and 10th spots respectively.