Trip.com reports 59% rise in car rental bookings for Thailand

Car rental bookings by Thai travellers heading overseas rose 78% year on year, while bookings for trips within Thailand increased 59%, according to Trip.com, as self-drive holidays gain popularity.

The platform’s figures also showed an 81% increase in global car rental bookings. Trip.com said driving was increasingly becoming part of the holiday experience itself, rather than simply a way to move between destinations.

Thailand was among Asia-Pacific’s faster-growing source markets for car rentals, alongside South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. Bookings by travellers from those four markets increased 85%, 62%, 113% and 139% respectively.

Japan leads self-drive destination rankings

Japan ranked first globally among self-drive destinations in Trip.com’s data, with car rental bookings rising 119% year on year.

South Korea ranked second, followed by Australia, Thailand and the United States. Although Japan led the destination ranking, South Korea recorded faster booking growth at 148%. Bookings increased 74% in Australia and 54% in the United States.

Individual destinations recording strong growth included:

• Jeju, South Korea: Bookings increased 148%.
• Tokyo, Japan: Bookings increased 156%.
• Okinawa, Japan: Bookings increased 87%.
• Sapporo, Japan: Bookings increased 129%.
• Fukuoka, Japan: Bookings increased 88%.

The pattern reflected growing interest in trips that connect cities with surrounding areas, natural attractions and destinations poorly served by public transport.

Across Asian markets, self-drive travel was gaining popularity among overseas travellers looking to combine several destinations in one holiday. Cross-border driving routes in Southeast Asia were also attracting greater interest.

For Thailand, growth in both overseas rentals by Thai travellers and bookings for journeys within the country highlighted its role as both a source market and a destination for independently planned trips.

The opportunities extend beyond rental companies to hotels, restaurants, attractions and other tourism businesses outside major cities. Driving gives visitors greater freedom to explore secondary routes and destinations, potentially spreading spending beyond established urban centres.

Families shape demand for road trips

Travellers aged 25–44 formed the main booking group, while families with young children accounted for more than half of self-drive trip bookings.

Family travel also featured prominently on Trip.Moments, where content about family road trips increased 309% year on year. Content about travelling with pets rose 209%, while posts about motorhomes and car camping grew 220%.

The figures pointed to a wider range of holidays in which the vehicle forms part of the experience, rather than serving only as transport.

Saloon cars accounted for the largest share of vehicle bookings at 52%, followed by sport utility vehicles (SUVs) at 29% and passenger vans at 17%.

Travellers book earlier and buy more insurance

Travellers were arranging rental cars further in advance, with the average booking lead time lengthening by about one week compared with the previous year.

The change suggested that car hire was increasingly being incorporated into itineraries from the planning stage, rather than left to a last-minute decision.

Safety was also becoming a more important consideration, with purchases of rental-car insurance increasing 131%.

Automatic vehicles accounted for 95% of all bookings, reflecting travellers’ preference for simpler driving in unfamiliar areas.