Thai’s go west during rainy season – study

Thailand’s rainy season might be bad for the country’s beach hot spots but is typically associated with travel to the western regions of the country, where nature becomes its most beautiful during the period.

New data from Hotels.com reveals a 26% jump in searches among Thai travellers for accommodation in the Western region over the past 12 months. The data shows the strengthening of tourism to Thailand’s second tier destinations as an alternative to the traditional tourist magnets.

According to search data from Hotels.com, local searches for hotels located in Thailand’s western region, including Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Tak and Prachuap Khiri Khan, soared 26% during May to September 2019, compared with the same period last year.

The most desired province for Thai tourists in the Western region this year during the rainy season is Ratchaburi – which experienced an 83% rise in searches for overnight accommodation in 2019. Other Western provinces experiencing an increase in search volume included Phetchaburi (31%), Tak (19%) and Prachuap Khiri Khan (18%).

According to Jessica Chuang, the Hotels.com regional marketing director for Greater China, Southeast Asia and India, travellers are now staying in hotels they never knew existed, off the well-beaten tourist tracks of Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

“The data indicates a positive, upward trend in travel to Thailand’s Western region, especially during the rainy season.”