National holidays in China and Japan to attract more visitors: TAT
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is estimating that some 996,000 foreign tourists will enter Thailand over the 10 days between April 26 to May 5, known as the Golden Week holidays in Japan.
The period also includes the Labour Day holiday on May 1, during which Chinese tourists prefer to travel overseas.
The estimated number of arrivals is about 29% higher than the statistics from last year, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT deputy governor for Asia and South Pacific markets, said on Tuesday.
He also estimated that foreign arrivals during this period will generate income of around 32.2 billion baht for local entrepreneurs, a jump of 35% year on year.
Chattan said out of 996,000 estimated foreign arrivals, about 230,000 will be Chinese travellers, who will be making the most of the visa-free policy that allows a 30-day stay under the permanent visa waiver deal between Thailand and China that took effect on March 1.
Another contributing factor, he added, will be the additional flights to Thailand being offered by various airlines during the Labour Day holiday. These include Spring Airlines’ flights from Shantou and Shanghai to Bangkok; China Southern Airlines’ flights from Guangzhou to Bangkok and Phuket, and Xiamen Airlines’ flights from Xiamen to Bangkok.
Online travel platform Agoda, meanwhile, announced that its survey of Japanese tourists found that Thailand is in second place among popular foreign destinations during the Golden Week. In first place is South Korea, while Taiwan, the USA, and Vietnam take third to fifth place, respectively.
Agoda also said that the most popular locations in Thailand among Japanese travellers are Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui, respectively.
Agoda insights show Thailand’s popularity among Japanese travellers is increasing, with the “Land of Smiles’ showing a 60% increase in searches between January and mid-March of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This signals a growing fascination with Thailand’s varied attractions and rich culture, the online platform noted.
Pierre Honne, senior country director of Agoda Thailand, said: “Japanese travellers are exploring more of Thailand, extending trips beyond its traditional hotspots like Bangkok and Pattaya, exploring more of Chon Buri and the coastline of Khao Lak.”
