Airbnb’s latest data revealed that bookings in Thailand on Airbnb more than doubled last year from 2020, with Bangkok emerging as the top destination of choice for global travellers on Airbnb.
The capital city was listed as the number one trending destination globally for Airbnb guests in 3Q2022, and number five on Airbnb’s list of top trending global travel spots in 2023.
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 US, with other top countries and regions of origin from the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific including South Korea, Australia, and China.
The resurgence in China outbound travel from 4Q2022 has been instrumental to the rebound in international travellers in Thailand, and continues to be a bright spot for the country this year.
As more people travel to reconnect with loved ones, group travel in Thailand on Airbnb surged over 300% year-on-year in 2022. This comes as family travel on the global platform increased 60% in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic, with more families booking Airbnb stays for their value and space. Nearly 90% of Airbnb stays have kitchens, 25% 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 five nights, and long-term stays of over 28 days more than tripled year-over-year.
As international travel rebounds post-Covid, Airbnb continues to work closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to drive more long-term stays in Thailand. Both parties co-launched a Live and Work Anywhere digital guide in January this year to support the growth of digital nomads in Thailand.
While domestic travel remains popular, Thais’ appetite for overseas travel has returned with more looking to explore popular hotspots. The top five overseas destinations on Airbnb by Thais in 2022 were South Korea, the US, the UK, France and Japan, with their most booked cities being Seoul, London, Paris, Melbourne and New York.
Songkran travel is also back in full swing with Airbnb guest searches for the festive period clocking more than 310% year-on-year increase, with Bangkok the most-searched destination among international guests for this period followed by Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket.
On the other hand, Thai travellers are looking to resort destinations, with Pattaya ranking top in guest searches for Airbnb stays.
Notably, Australia ranks the top country of origin for international guests this Thai New Year, followed by the US, the UK, Germany and France. Closer to home, top origins of international guests include Singapore, South Korea, China and Malaysia, while over 20% of China guest searches for Thailand stays for spring travel this year were for the Songkran period.
Amanpreet Bajaj, general manager for South-east Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Airbnb, said: “With Songkran just around the corner, we are delighted to see the significant resurgence in international travel to Thailand on Airbnb. The growing excitement among 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.”
