According to Thai media news, on April 24, Mr. Cha Tan, deputy director of Asia and South Pacific markets of the National Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), revealed that it is expected that during the 10-day May Day Golden Week (April 26-May 5) in 2024, Thailand will welcome more than 996,000 foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 29%, and generate revenue of 32.28 billion baht, a year-on-year increase of 35%.
Chatan said that the main groups of tourists in Thailand during this year's May Day Golden Week are Chinese and Japanese tourists, and they are expected to travel for about 5-7 days. The positive factors come from Thailand's continued presence as a popular destination for this holiday, including visa-free measures between Thailand and China, increased number of flights, and marketing promotion by the Thai Tourism Board's overseas offices. It is estimated that the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand will increase by 10% compared to the usual period during the above 10-day period, with an average of 89,000 per day.
He further said that in terms of the Japanese tourist market, according to the situation of the May Day Golden Week in 2019, Japanese tourists will start to travel to Thailand on the last working day. This year, Thailand is expected to welcome 41,000 Japanese tourists, an increase of 30%, and generate revenue of 1,349 billion baht, an increase of 76%. IN ADDITION, ACCORDING TO EXPEDIA, BANGKOK RANKS THIRD AMONG THE MOST POPULAR GOLDEN WEEK DESTINATIONS FOR JAPANESE TOURISTS.
As for Chinese tourists, in previous years, Chinese tourists would choose to depart for Thailand 1-5 days in advance, and although their holiday officially started on May 1, the number of Chinese flights to Thailand increased by 3% between April 26 and 30. It is estimated that about 230,000 Chinese tourists will visit Thailand in the above 10 days, an increase of 75%, and generate revenue of 9.1 billion baht, an increase of 144%. It is also understood that thanks to the visa-free measures, Chinese tourists to Thailand increased by 240% from January to March this year compared with the same period last year.