- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Some 2.6 million Thais are expected to travel domestically during the three-day holiday this weekend (August 10-12), generating around US$266.45 million (9.39 billion baht) in revenue for local entrepreneurs, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) predicted on Thursday (Aug 8).
August 12 is Thailand’s Mother’s Day as well as the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother.
The estimates of domestic tourists over this weekend are lower than those for the long weekends in July, TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said, adding that she expected a drop of 3% over July 20-22 (Buddhist Lent Day) and 5% lower than July 27-29 (King’s birthday).
“Some people have already taken trips last month and are more likely to skip travelling this month,” she said.
“Furthermore, rising household debts and cost of living, as well as frequent rain also discourage people from travelling.”
She predicted that the majority of tourists would travel short distances within their province, including temples, local restaurants, and venues hosting celebrations of the Queen Mother’s birthday.
TAT estimated that the central region will see the most visitors during this weekend, at around 672,000 people, followed by the northeast (485,000), the east (463,000), Bangkok (437,000), the south (275,000), and the north (261,000).
Meanwhile, some wealthy Thais are expected to travel to nearby foreign destinations this weekend, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and China, where tour companies are offering package tours at less than 10,000 baht per person. - The Nation/ANN
