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3 Apr 2023

Thai Economy

Songkran 2023 celebrations to resume after three quiet years; Thai tourists expected to make more than 5.1 million domestic trips (Current Issue No.3396)

คะแนนเฉลี่ย

        Many provinces are preparing to organize lively events to celebrate this year's Songkran festival after a three-year pause, amid lessened concerns about the pandemic. According to KResearch’s survey results, 44.7 percent of Bangkok residents plan to travel during the Songkran holidays, especially leisure trips and hometown visits with tourism activities on the side. Meanwhile, 28.3 percent have no travel plans; most of this group wishes to avoid traffic congestion.

        A majority of the surveyed Bangkok residents (88.9 percent) would make domestic trips. Their favorite destinations are seaside cities such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Chang, etc. Meanwhile, trips abroad have improved at a slow pace because of high travel costs compared to pre-pandemic levels and relatively limited international routes. As a result, most respondents still prefer domestic travel.

        Regarding tourism expenditures during the Songkran festival, average spending per trip of the sample group is around THB 5,250 per person, increasing by 8 percent compared with the survey results during the same period of last year, but remaining below the average pre-pandemic figure. Supporting factors for the rise in tourism expenditures include resumption of celebrations and fun-filled activities to mark the Songkran festival such as live music shows, booths selling products, etc. whereas tourist attractions have resumed their normal operations. Meanwhile, tourism operators offer fewer price promotion campaigns as domestic tourism has returned to normal.

        Considering the favourable factors, and our survey results showing that the majority of Bangkok residents plan domestic travel, KResearch projects that Thai tourists are projected to take around 5.1 million domestic trips during the five-day celebration of the Songkran festival from April 13 to 17, 2023, an increase of 28.9 percent YoY. Tourism spending during the Songkran holidays is expected to reach THB 23 billion, growing by 26.3 percent YoY.

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