13 million Thais travel abroad in record year, China No. 1 destination

Bangkok - The number of Thai travelers abroad surged to a record 13.06 million in the past year, a 11.4% increase, according to Bnomics, a research and economic content platform by Bangkok Bank. The extensive travel resulted in over 559 billion baht in spending by the Thais. Among the destinations, China emerged as the top choice, with 3.06 million Thai visitors, who spent a combined 120.25 billion baht.

The popularity of China can be attributed to its visa-free arrangement for Thai travelers, extensive infrastructure, and relatively good value for money. Malaysia and Laos followed, attracting 1.72 million and 1.44 million Thai travelers, respectively, with spending amounts of 33.38 billion baht and 22.06 billion baht. Japan ranked fourth, with 1.23 million Thai visitors spending 63.27 billion baht.

The United Kingdom ranked fifth, with 492,000 Thai visitors spending 131,089 baht per trip. Despite a decline in popularity, South Korea remained in the top 15, with 328,000 visitors spending an average of 51,558 baht. The figures underscore the impact of visa policies, accessibility, travel costs, and border procedures on the destinations chosen by Thai travelers.