Cool temperatures and fog entice tourists north for long weekend
More domestic tourists will travel during this long weekend than last week’s, with cool and foggy weather in the North and Northeast pushing the regions' occupancy rates to the top, according to a forecast by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
More people are choosing to travel during the Constitution Day long weekend because they chose to stay with their family on Fathers' Day last weekend, the agency said.
It forecasts that the number of domestic trips from Saturday to Monday will reach 3.37 million and generate 12.620 billion baht in economic activity, and that the average occupancy rate will be 65%.
Occupancy rates will be higher in the North and Northeastern regions – 72% and 65%, respectively – the agency forecast, saying cool weather and foggy conditions in mountainous regions will draw tourists to the two regions.
Closer to Bangkok, the occupancy rate in the Eastern and Central regions is forecast to rise to 62% this weekend.
TAT’s list of the Top 10 provinces for domestic tourists during the Constitution Day long weekend puts Chonburi at the top:
- Chonburi
- Kanchanaburi
- Chiang Mai
- Nakhon Ratchasima
- Rayong
- Prachuap Khiri Khan
- Chiang Rai
- Phuket
- Phang-nga
- Nan
Chonburi topped the list due to its proximity to Bangkok and the abundance of natural sites it offers for one-day trips.
Chiang Mai is expected to have the highest occupancy rate, 81%, due to its cool weather.
Six of the eight other provinces on the list are major tourist destinations. Chiang Rai and Nan, which took the 10th spot, lack major cities, which are still a draw for domestic tourists, but their northern locations are still a draw during peak travel season.
According to its analysis of weekend tourism from 2018 to 2022, TAT found that long weekends are the most popular for domestic tourists and that the condition of the economy and purchasing power are the major factors in determining how far domestic tourists will travel.
When there is more than one long weekend in a month, domestic tourists generally select one for travel rather than take multiple long weekend trips, according to TAT research.
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