Top 3 most popular overseas destinations among Thais during Songkran break

The Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) estimates that China will be the top destination for Thais traveling abroad during this year’s Songkran holidays (April 12–16), while Japan and Europe remain in second and third positions, respectively.

Thanapol Chewarattanaporn, a TTAA advisor, revealed on Thursday that airlines have launched promotional deals offering cheap airfares to China in an effort to attract Thai travelers and compensate for unsold seats originally intended for Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.

The sharp decline in Chinese bookings has been driven by safety concerns following recent earthquakes and an ongoing crackdown on call center scam gangs, leading to a wave of cancellations and delays of charter flights between Thailand and China, he said.

“The negative perception of safety in Thailand has impacted the Chinese group tour market, especially those traveling via charter flights. As a result, many airlines canceled a significant number of charter flights during Songkran,” said Thanapol.

“With fewer Chinese tourists coming to Thailand, airlines and tour operators have shifted strategies by offering discounted airfares to Thai travelers. Tour packages to China now average between 15,000 and 30,000 baht. Additionally, China is viewed positively in terms of tourism safety, and its convenient transportation—cars, trains, and seamless connectivity—makes travel even more attractive,” he added.

Thanapol estimated that the second most popular destination among Thai travelers is Japan. Currently, tour packages to Japan cost around 30,000 baht. However, during the Songkran period, “flash sales” with discounts of up to 10,000 baht are expected, aiming to entice last-minute buyers to fill the remaining 5–10 seats per tour group.

He also noted that Europe ranks among the top three preferred international destinations for Thai travelers. Popular routes include France, Switzerland, Italy, and Eastern Europe. At present, European tour packages are priced at around 60,000 baht.

“The outlook for outbound tourism in 2025 is expected to improve, with more than 10 million Thais traveling abroad—surpassing the pre-COVID level in 2019,” said Thanapol. “China is projected to become the most popular destination, with over 1 million Thai tourists, potentially overtaking Japan for the first time. Travel to Japan is expected to reach a similar level of around 1 million, but recent news concerning earthquake preparedness and Mount Fuji’s volcanic activity may psychologically affect Thai travelers, possibly causing some to delay their trips.”