National Mother’s Day weekend anticipates 2.6 million trips boosting Thai tourism revenue

Anticipation is building up in the kingdom of Thailand as the upcoming long weekend for National Mother’s Day approaches, strategically set from August 12 through August 14.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the weekend is estimated to see a surge of 2.6 million local travels yielding total revenue of approximately 8.76 billion baht (US$249 million). This flurry of domestic excursions, however, represents a downturn from the previous year’s figures due to the looming shadows of inflation and various other factors.

In a brief statement, Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of TAT, shed light on these expectations. Explaining the drop-off in anticipated travel numbers, he pointed out that the majority of Thai citizens had already packed their travel bags over the six-day break that marked the end of July. He opined that the upcoming weekend was more likely to see the popularity of day trips to proximate destinations. Such short getaways often do not include overnight hotel stays, reflecting a lower expenditure on tourist-related services and facilities.

This expectation emerged from a relevant survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand. The study, which probed into the travel plans for the impending weekend, echoed TAT’s forecast with a similar sentiment. It found 23% of respondents intent on exploring within the confines of their own province. The survey also revealed that around 21% were eyeing overnight stays in neighbouring provinces, whereas nearly 20% were laying the ground for day trips to remote areas.

In a related account, TAT’s records showed that during the recently concluded long holiday weekend of July 28 through August 2, Bangkok emerged as the leading domestic destination. The Thai capital welcomed over 600,000 trips, pouring approximately 3.13 billion baht (US$89 million) into the local tourism sector’s coffers. Following closely, the eastern region ranked second in the tourist arrival tally, witnessing 367,190 trips and generating a staggering 1.34 billion baht (US$38 million) in tourism income. Rounding off the top three, the northern provinces secured a healthy visitor count of 290,350 visits, earning a noteworthy revenue of 1.11 billion baht (US$31 million).

Read our article about What you need to know about National Mother’s Day in Thailand HERE.