Mother’s Day tourism in Thailand to generate 9.39 billion baht

Tourism income from 2.6 million domestic trips during the Mother’s Day holiday this year is expected to reach 9.39 billion baht, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). This figure shows a slight decline from the 9.58 billion baht revenue recorded during the back-to-back long holidays in July.

TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool attributed the weaker projection for the Mother’s Day three-day weekend to several factors, including high household debts and the cost of living, which have made people more cautious about leisure spending. Additionally, some travellers had already exhausted their travel budgets last month.

High purchasing power individuals might opt for overseas trips to celebrate with their mothers instead of staying in Thailand, said Thapanee.

“With high competition from overseas trips, especially from nearby countries that offer tour packages with an affordable price of only 10,000 baht, some tourists decided to book outbound trips as a gift for their mothers.”

Expected to gain from the outbound market share are countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and China, which have visa exemptions for Thai travellers.

The average hotel occupancy rate during the upcoming long weekend is projected to reach 68% nationwide. The central region and Bangkok are anticipated to have the highest occupancy rates at 73% and 72%, respectively.

The central region is also expected to attract the most visitors with 672,740 trips, followed by the northeast of Thailand with 485,690 trips, and the eastern region with 463,640 trips.

Bangkok is forecast to generate the most revenue at 2.32 billion baht, followed by the eastern region with 1.98 billion baht, and the south with 1.5 billion baht.

Thapanee noted that TAT’s projection aligns with the Tourism Council of Thailand’s forecast, which estimated that 30% of local travellers would choose to travel within their provinces, while only 14% would take one-day and overnight-stay trips in other provinces.

To draw tourists to more destinations outside of Bangkok, TAT plans to host several events this weekend. These include the Amazing Food Festival 2024 in Prachuap Khiri Khan from today through August 12, and the Amazing Beach Life Festival in Songkhla, running through tomorrow.

The strategic use of events aims to boost tourism in less-visited areas, offering unique experiences and supporting local economies, reported Bangkok Post.