BANGKOK, 22 March 2019: Newly released booking data from Agoda suggests there is a stronger interest in booking overseas destination during the Songkran holiday week.
Traditionally Thais return to their hometowns for family reunions for the mid-April weeklong break from work.
But for the first time, more overseas destinations are making it to the top 10 list for hotel bookings with Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Taipei taking up four of the top spots.
Tokyo took Bangkok’s crown for the most-booked destination during the Songkran week, a title Bangkok held for at least the last two years. This suggests more affluent Thai travellers, who book their own holidays during Songkran, are checking out overseas destinations.
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan offer Thais visa-free entry and have many attractions to offer travellers looking for an alternative way to spend Songkran minus the water battles.
Top locations for bookings are the trendy Shibuya neighbourhood in Tokyo, the world-class Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan in Osaka, the elegant Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul and the famous Taipei 101 Observatory.
Thailand’s seaside cities Pattaya and Hua Hin, hold on to second and third placed destinations for Thai travellers booking holidays at Songkran. Pattaya’s Songkran’s festival begins a week later than the rest of the country.
Top Songkran destinations for Thai travelers
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| 1 | Bangkok, Thailand | Bangkok, Thailand | Tokyo, Japan |
| 2 | Pattaya, Thailand | Pattaya, Thailand | Pattaya, Thailand |
| 3 | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hua Hin, Thailand | Hua Hin, Thailand |
| 4 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Phuket, Thailand | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 5 | Phuket, Thailand | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Phuket, Thailand |
| 6 | Krabi, Thailand | Krabi, Thailand | Osaka, Japan |
| 7 | Tokyo, Japan | Tokyo, Japan | Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| 8 | Koh Chang, Thailand | Koh Chang, Thailand | Seoul, South Korea |
| 9 | Rayong, Thailand | Kanchanaburi, Thailand | Koh Chang, Thailand |
| 10 | Chonburi, Thailand | Rayong, Thailand | Taipei, Taiwan |
