BANGKOK, 1 December 2022: Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom make up the top five most desired international destinations for Thai travellers, according to Visa’s Thailand’s Travel Intentions Study 2023 – Outbound Edition*.
The study, conducted among 2,000 Thai respondents, revealed the top three considerations when choosing an international destination to visit are the cost of travel (65%), the weather (49%), and a need to explore new places (48%).
Pipavin Sodprasert, Country Manager for Visa Thailand, said: “The pandemic has created a pent-up demand and energy among Thai travellers to satisfy their hunger for travel after not being able to venture abroad for so long. With more countries reopening their borders, we wanted to take a closer look at how Thai travellers are rediscovering their international destinations and navigating a world of uncertainty.”
The study also found people are putting the travel barriers of the pandemic behind them, with just over one-third (35%) concerned about the reopening policy of their preferred destination and just over one-fifth (23%) worried about the pandemic situation when planning their trip.
The top three reasons for going on an overseas trip are to explore new places they’ve never visited before (61%), spend more quality time with family and friends (42%), and revisit their favourite destination (36%).
When it comes to planning their trip, the majority of Thai travellers are keen to organise the whole trip by themselves (41%), while others choose to go on a flexible individual tour (21%) or a packaged group tour (11%).
Most people expect to make one trip (53%) in the next twelve months, although some plan two (31%) or three trips (11%). The most popular length of stay for Thai travellers when venturing abroad is between five to seven days (39%), between eight to ten days (22%), and longer than two weeks but less than a month (12%).
The survey also found that people are willing to pay more for a better experience. Better food (56%), better, hassle-free service (52%), and visiting a more exotic destination (36%) are the top reasons for Thais spending a little extra on their international trip. On average, Thai travellers expect to spend just under THB45,000 while on their leisure trip, a little more than the expected spend of just over THB40,000 on a business trip.
When making payments overseas, the most preferred payment methods are payment cards (69%), cash (61%), mobile contactless and digital wallets (57%). Respondents to the study said the top three benefits of using digital payments while travelling are security (60%), convenience (56%), and the ability to keep track of expenses (49%).
“It’s clear that Thai travellers are ready to leave many of their pandemic-related concerns around travel behind them. We hope that by releasing these insights, we can help the industry, our partners, and clients get a clearer understanding of consumer travel behaviour so collectively we can better support Thai travellers as they venture out to explore the world again,” said Pipavin.
*Thailand’s Travel Intentions Study 2023 – Outbound Edition was conducted by YouGov among 2,000 Thai respondents online in November 2022
