Cities such as Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom and Nan saw over 50% growth in tourism popularity in 2018, according to a report by Expedia.com.
The global travel booking site found large booms in search popularity among 10 Thai "secondary" cities through their internal flight data. Buri Ram, Loei, Roi Et, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phitsanulok, Narathiwat and Ubon Ratchathani also saw over 50% increases in air traffic demand in 2018 compared with 2017.
The report found Thai travellers prefer to travel close to home, and choose local destinations and short-distance domestic travel. Travel to secondary cities is on the rise, while Thais also prefer non-traditional accommodation such as apartment hotels, tents and bungalows.
Popular international destinations for Thai travellers included Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and Taipei.
Expedia reported Thai travellers' favourite hotels of 2018 were Sotetsu Fresa Inn Ueno-Okachimachi in Tokyo, APA Hotel Asakusa Tawaramachi Ekimae in Tokyo, The Neelawat Riverside in Phunphin, V Hotel Lavender in Singapore, and Amari Don Muang Airport in Bangkok.
The most popular travel booking month was April, while the least popular was May. Travel ahead of holidays was unsurprisingly a busy time to travel, but the actual holidays were relatively quiet.