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.
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.
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.
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.”
