Pattaya, Hua Hin favourite getaways for Thai families, Agoda searches show

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Pattaya topped the list of holiday destinations for domestic travellers this year, followed by Hua Hin and its adjoining city Cha-am, search data collected by hotel booking platform Agoda shows.

Phuket, which is usually popular among foreigners, came in third.

According to Agoda’s insights, Thai families are most interested in vacationing in seaside towns this year.

The 10 most searched local destinations by Thais are Pattaya, Hua Hin/Cha-am, Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Khao Yai, Krabi, Rayong and Koh Samet, respectively.

Pattaya, Hua Hin favourite getaways for Thai families, Agoda searches show

Agoda’s Family Travel Trend Survey, which polled over 14,000 family travellers from 12 markets globally, found that the top three family activities were visiting landmarks, spending time at the beach and having a day of fun at a theme or amusement park.

Peerapol Sa-ngamuang, Agoda Thailand’s country director, said many families go on vacation during school breaks, and beaches appear to be the most popular.

As for overseas destinations, Thai families are most interested in Japan, he said. Agoda found that six Japanese cities featured in the list of top 10 overseas destinations, with Tokyo at the top. The other nine favourite overseas destinations for Thai travellers are Singapore, Hong Kong, Osaka, Fujikawaguchiko, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Kyoto.

Pattaya, Hua Hin favourite getaways for Thai families, Agoda searches show

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) believes the tourism industry in 2023 will generate between 1.25 trillion to 2.38 trillion baht in revenue.

It also estimates that Thailand will possibly welcome up to 30 million foreign tourists this year, which should generate about 1.5 trillion baht in revenue. TAT believes local travellers will generate some 880 billion baht in revenue.