Bangkok and Pattaya Top Songkran 2023 Travel Searches on Airbnb

(23/03/23)  Airbnb has revealed that nights booked in the Kingdom of Thailand more than doubled last year when compared to the same internal data for 2020.

Bangkok emerged as the top trending destination globally for Airbnb guests in Q3 last year, and fifth on Airbnb’s list of top trending global travel spots in 2023, based on searches made in Q1-Q3 2022 for check-ins in 2022 vs the same period in 2021.

Thailand recently forecasted that it expects 25-30 million travellers will visit the country this year, up from 11 million international visitors in 2022.

Bangkok was the top most booked Thai destination on Airbnb in 2022, closely followed by Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui.

Picture from Songkran 2007 by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Driving this strong momentum are travellers from the United States, which ranks as the top country of origin for Airbnb guests visiting Thailand in 2022. Other top countries and regions of origin were the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia Pacific, including South Korea, Australia and China.

The resurgence in China outbound travel from Q4 last year has been instrumental to the rebound in international travellers in Thailand, and continues to be a bright spot for the country this year. Within 24 hours of the government’s announcement on 26 December 2022 to lift inbound quarantine requirements, Thailand ranked as the top most searched outbound destination amongst guests from China on Airbnb.

As more people travel to reconnect with loved ones, group travel in Thailand on Airbnb surged over 300 percent year-on-year in 2022. This comes as family travel on the global platform increased 60 percent in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic, with more families booking Airbnb stays for their value and space. Nearly 90 percent of Airbnb stays have kitchens, one-quarter have three bedrooms or more, and more than a million have cribs for small children.

Airbnb is also attracting guests who stay for longer, as more global travellers enjoy greater flexibility in work and travel. In 2022 the average length of stay on the platform in Thailand was approximately 5 nights, and long term stays of over 28 days more than tripled year-on-year.

While domestic travel remains popular, Thais’ appetite for overseas travel has returned with more looking to explore popular hotspots. Thais’ top five overseas destinations on Airbnb in 2022 were South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, France and Japan, with their most booked cities being Seoul, London, Paris, Melbourne and New York.

Thailand Songkran 2023

After years of muted celebrations during the pandemic, Songkran travel is back in full swing with Airbnb guest searches for the festive period clocking a more than 310 percent year-on-year increase.

Picture from Songkran 2007 by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Bangkok is the most-searched destination amongst international guests for this period followed by Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket, while Thai travellers are looking to resort destinations, with Pattaya ranking top in guest searches for Airbnb stays.

Australia ranks the top country of origin for international guests the Thai New Year festivites, followed by the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Closer to home, top origins of international guests include Singapore, South Korea, China and Malaysia. Notably, over 20 percent of China guest searches for Thailand stays for spring travel this year were for the Songkran period.

“With Songkran just round the corner, we are delighted to see the significant resurgence in international travel to Thailand on Airbnb,” said Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan. “The growing excitement amongst global travellers to experience the country’s scenic natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage, delicious local cuisine and world-class Thai hospitality, is extremely encouraging and signals strong tourism recovery. In line with our efforts to promote inclusive and responsible tourism in the country, we remain committed to working closely with the government and relevant stakeholders to accelerate travel recovery and future proof the tourism industry in Thailand.”

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