Thais’ overseas spending jumps during Songkran
Thai tourists’ appetite for trips abroad has continued to surge, as overseas spending during Songkran increased by 150% year on year, several experts said on Tuesday.
During a seminar at The Standard Hotel in Bangkok, multi-currency wallet application provider YouTrip said 90% of its users spent cash abroad during the period from April 12-16, compared with only 10% who spent domestically.
“The majority of users spent cash for shopping at stores like 7-Eleven, Pop Mart and duty-free stores,” said Juthasree Kuvinichkul, the company’s founding partner, adding that spending for dining at food outlets came in second.
Echoing Juthasree, Muang Thai Insurance said the demand for travel insurance also surged during Songkran, especially for flight cancellations or delays due to natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.
“After the Covid-19 pandemic, many tourists pay attention to insurance due to uncertainty of being sick or becoming victims of accidents abroad,” said its director and senior executive vice-president Wasit Lamsam.
Japan remains No 1 destination
Experts affirmed that Japan is still the No 1 destination among Thai tourists, thanks to its unique culture, tourist attractions, foods and shopping goods.
Even though the price of products in Japan is quite similar to Thailand, the weakening Japanese yen against Thai baht has encouraged Thai tourists to travel in Japan, Juthasree said.
According to the Bank of Thailand, the buying rate for 100 yen was 23.89 baht on January 2. It then dropped to 23.47 baht on March 5 before rising to 23.64 baht on April 11. The buying rate as of Monday was 23.13 baht.
The Japan National Tourism Organisation’s statistics released on April 26 showed that 323,700 Thai tourists visited Japan in the first three months of 2024, up 32.3% year on year. Of them, 90,600 Thais visited Japan in January, 101,400 in February and 131,700 in March.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand noted in January that factors that make Japan a more affordable destination for Thai travellers include the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and the weakness of the yen.
Thai Airways International confirmed that Japan is popular among Thai tourists after the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those who travel independently to see attractions there.
“Tokyo topped Japan destinations among Thai tourists, followed by Sapporo,” said the airline’s product marketing team lead Phiromtis Thongthaem na Ayutthaya.
Following Japan is China
Thanks to the visa exemption scheme that came into effect from March 1 onwards, experts said China has become the No 2 destination among Thai travellers.
Users’ transaction volume in China increased by 466% year on year during the Songkran festival, especially in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu, Juthasree said.
Travel application provider Klook said Thais’ lack of awareness of tourist attractions in China posed a challenge to Chinese tourism.
“Most travellers concentrate on Shanghai Disneyland, but they do not know where they can go afterwards,” said company director and general manager Michelle Ho.
She added that Klook has collaborated with content creators to promote other tourist destinations in China.
Technology-driven tourism
Experts noted that many tourists prefer travelling abroad independently over group tours, thanks to a variety of technologies to support their journeys, such as global positioning system (GPS) and wallet applications.
“The trend of independent travelling is likely to grow further as technology helps facilitate them on booking flights and hotels, as well as purchasing goods,” Phiromtis said.
Despite changes in Thai tourists’ behaviour, Juthasree expects the trend of travelling abroad to continue after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented them from doing so between 2019 and 2021.
“The trend of travelling abroad could persist for a while as it has become part of Thai tourists’ lifestyle,” she said.
