Japan, China still tops for Thai travellers
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Japan, China still tops for Thai travellers

Locals snap up deals at recent travel fair

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Travellers crowd a passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport. The number of overseas trips taken by Thais during the upcoming Songkran holiday is expected to be higher than last year. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
Travellers crowd a passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi airport. The number of overseas trips taken by Thais during the upcoming Songkran holiday is expected to be higher than last year. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

Despite surging costs, Japan and China are expected to remain the top destinations for outbound Thai travellers this year, with at least 2.5 million flocking to those countries thanks to visa exemptions, weak currencies and various tourism products.

Charoen Wangananont, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), said these two destinations were the clear favourites at the Thai International Travel Fair at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center last week as tour packages, air tickets and related tourism services from Japan and China were highly sought after.

He said the fair generated 300 million baht as affluent Thais bought overseas trips during the upcoming Songkran holiday in April.

"Tourism expenditure during the four-day event was quite close to our target due to the surge of outbound travel costs this year. However, the number of participants was only 80% of the target of 200,000 as many travellers pivoted to online channels," said Mr Charoen.

He said forward bookings for April tallied 20-30% of volume. The total outbound market for this period should improve from last year, mainly driven by outbound trips to Japan and China, which offer visa exemptions for Thai tourists.

In 2025, the TTAA forecasts 1.5 million Thais visiting Japan, increasing from 1.14 million last year, while travellers to China should reach 1 million for the first time since the pandemic, up from 700,000 last year.

Mr Charoen said about 80% of the outbound market to China still chose major cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou. However, those who have experience with trips in China are now looking at second-tier cities.

Newly developed facilities at each destination also eased concerns about inconvenience in China from past trips, such as unsanitary public toilets, he said.

Mr Charoen said the growth of the outbound market to China might look impressive, but the tally still lags the pre-pandemic period.

Even though the permanent visa exemption between the two countries would still be the key driver, the factor to watch this year is the sluggish Thai economy, which might impact decision making for overseas trips, including China, with some costs relatively high.

"China will remain the rising destination this year, but travel costs to some cities are not cheaper than Japan anymore. For instance, tour packages to Harbin, the emerging destination among Thai travellers, cost around 40,000-50,000 baht on average for a five-day trip. Moreover, the entry fees for some attractions are also expensive," he said.

For Japan, even though the travel cost rose 20% due to more expensive travel fares, accommodation and attractions, the appreciation of the baht against the yen helps to offset those costs.

"Thai tourists can accept rising costs in Japan as they perceive that the price upgrading policy impacts all tourists, not only Thais. If considering other positive factors, such as the high standard of tourism products, they're still happy to choose this destination," said Mr Charoen.

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