Thailand among top choices for Chinese May holiday travel in 2026
Dragon Trail data cited by ATTA show Thailand drawing 9% of Chinese outbound travellers for the May holiday, up from 5% in 2025.
- According to a survey by Dragon Trail International, Thailand is the third most popular destination for Chinese tourists planning to travel during the May 2026 holiday, chosen by 9% of travelers.
- South Korea ranked first (16.3%) and Macau second (10.7%), placing them ahead of Thailand in traveler preference for the holiday period.
- Thailand's ranking represents a significant increase from 2025, when its share of Chinese tourists was 5%, and it has now overtaken Japan, which fell to fifth place.
- Despite the positive ranking, the article notes that Thailand is a "consideration" but not yet a "top of mind" destination, presenting a key challenge for its tourism sector to become a primary choice.
Adith Chairattananon, secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said on Thursday (April 30) that an analysis by Dragon Trail International, a China-based marketing and travel consultancy, of Chinese outbound travel trends during China’s May Holiday 2026 from May 1 to 5 found that 24% of Chinese people planning overseas trips in 2026 had chosen to travel during the holiday.
This makes the Labour Day period a key “strategic window of opportunity” for countries seeking to attract Chinese tourist spending in the short and medium term.
The survey of destination preferences for Chinese outbound travellers found that most chose intra-regional trips, or Asian countries close to China.
Chinese tourists chose South Korea as their top destination at 16.3%, followed by Macau in second place at 10.7%, Thailand in third at 9%, Hong Kong in fourth at 6.7%, and Japan, which slipped to fifth, at 5.1%. They were followed by Australia at 4.5%, Singapore at 4.5%, Malaysia at 3.4%, the Maldives at 2.8%, and New Zealand at 2.8%.
The findings point to an important positive signal for Thailand’s tourism industry, as Chinese tourists choosing Thailand during the Chinese Labour Day holiday accounted for 9%, up from 5% in 2025. This overtook Japan, where the share of Chinese travellers was 5.1%, down from 9.5%, due to pressure from geopolitical issues between China and Japan and limits on flight capacity.
This shows that Thailand has a clear recovery signal and has returned to the “consideration set” of Chinese tourists. However, Thailand is not yet “top of mind”, a key challenge that the Thai tourism sector must urgently address to win back market share from competitors in the region.
Travel patterns among Chinese tourists in 2026 are shifting from rushed short trips towards more flexible journeys and longer itineraries, with 44% of tourists “taking additional leave” to extend their trips.
Most trip durations were 3-5 days, accounting for 48%, followed by 6-10-day trips at 33%, while those travelling for more than 10 days accounted for 11%.
As for travel spending per person, the core segment of Chinese tourists had a budget of 10,000-20,000 yuan (approximately THB47,706-95,413), accounting for 28%. The upper segment had a budget of more than 50,000 yuan (more than THB238,466), accounting for 15%, while those with budgets of more than 100,000 yuan (more than THB476,987) accounted for 7%.
This indicates that Chinese tourist travel this year is not focused only on the cheapest or most economical options, but on “choosing to spend on valuable experiences”, while the mass market and high-end market are growing at the same time.
Adith added that Chinese tourists’ travel purposes covered four main needs: relaxation and leisure at 40%, gastronomy at 29%, nature at 28%, and culture and history at 28%. This means the new generation of Chinese tourists is seeking meaning from travel, or “experience-based tourism”, rather than traditional sightseeing.
Based on the findings, policy recommendations were proposed as follows:
1. Product strategy must clearly address the four core needs: wellness/beach resorts for relaxation, Thai gastronomy experiences for food lovers, islands/national parks for nature lovers, and heritage + storytelling for those interested in culture.
2. Market strategy for short trips (3-5 days) should focus on major cities that are easy to reach, such as Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. Extended trips should offer linked travel routes, or multi-destination clusters, to attract travellers taking additional leave.
The Chinese tourist market during the May Holiday 2026 is returning with higher potential, but also with more intense competition and more complex expectations. Thailand shows a strong recovery signal, but the challenge is to move from a secondary option to a primary choice by upgrading products, emphasising quality experiences and communicating in ways that reach the new needs of Chinese tourists, to compete for a top destination position in the region, Adith concluded.
In addition, during this year’s Labour Day period, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) forecast that from Wednesday (April 29, 2026) to Wednesday (May 6, 2026), 136,000 Chinese tourists would travel to Thailand, up 26%, generating THB3.9 billion in revenue, up 27%.
The forecast was supported by the recovery of China’s outbound market and the expansion of direct routes, with three new routes: Hangzhou-Phuket, Shenzhen-Phuket and Yangzhou-Suvarnabhumi. Chinese tourists are expected to start arriving in Thailand from late April, with bookings peaking on Friday (May 1, 2026).
Thailand also remained in the top three among Chinese tourists, with the “Visa-friendly” segment (about 20%) continuing to choose Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. As ticket prices may rise by more than 50%, tourists are changing their behaviour by booking early through “Early Lock-in” reservations 6-12 weeks before travel to control their budgets.
