Bangkok generated the most revenue in the country during the Songkran holiday, with spending estimated at 4.1 billion baht, but the hotel occupancy rate nationwide dropped by 10 percentage points due to continuing weakness in Chinese arrivals, tourism officials said on Friday.
The Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 at Sanam Luang attracted 1.1 million visitors from April 11-15, of whom 90% were local residents, said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Provinces in the East earned an estimated 4.04 billion baht, followed by the North, which recorded the strongest year-on-year growth in spending at 30% to reach 2.5 billion baht.
Foreign arrivals totalled 421,394 from April 12-16, generating 6.45 billion baht for the tourism industry, said Ms Thapanee. The markets with the strongest year-on-year growth were Europe at 42%, Oceania (29%), South Asia (22%) and the US at 13%.
Nationwide revenue for Songkran this year was 28.7 billion baht, up 17% year-on-year, with Bangkok attracting the most visitors and reporting the highest revenue,” she said.
Huge crowds in capital
About 2.8 million people participated in Songkran celebrations in Bangkok, with Sanam Luang the most popular venue, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said.
The BMA supported 17 major locations for Songkran festivities from April 11 to 15, said Chatree Wattanakajorn, the BMA deputy permanent secretary.
The top three locations were Sanam Luang, with 1.1 million people, Khao San Road, with 459,737, and Silom Road, with 358,728.
Celebrants at the 17 locations generated 313 tonnes of waste, he said, with Silom Road topping the table with 74.8 tonnes.
The huge crowds were concentrated in Bangkok this year as most travellers chose to stay home rather than travel across regions, said Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA).
Many domestic travellers who did return to their hometowns were likely staying at their family homes and not hotels, he said.
Coupled with a weaker flow of Chinese visitors, the average occupancy rate of hotels nationwide dropped by 10 percentage from the 71.5% figure seen in the same period of 2024, according to the THA.
Mr Thienprasit said the TAT succeeded in attracting more long-haul visitors during Songkran, even though it is the off-season for these markets.
However, these arrivals were insufficient to offset the decline from the Chinese market, which continues to be affected by ongoing safety concerns about Thailand, he said.
Mr Thienprasit said a trend to watch after Songkran is rising price competition among hotels of all scales, as reports showed average room rates at upscale hotels in Thailand have dropped sharply since the high season ended.
Dusit Hotels and Resorts launched a campaign on Friday offering a complimentary night with every night booked for its entire portfolio in Thailand and overseas, for the booking period of April 22-27, with stays from April 22 to Dec 20, 2025.
Mr Thienprasit said more five-star hotels are expected to adopt similar strategies to add value for guests if the decline in the Chinese market continues.