BANGKOK, 7 April 2014 —The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has conducted a poll to survey Thais on a range of issues including questions about where people are travelling for the Songkran Festival as well as how people plan to watch the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.
The poll asked 1,800 respondents, comprised of 600 accommodation owners, along with 1,200 other people in six major tourist attractions of Thailand: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Cholburi, Khon Kaen, Chiangmai, and Songkla.
The survey, conducted during 1-8 March 2014, found that people mostly plan to travel during April (86.5%), and the top-three favorite places are Chiangmai (10.7%), Phuket (6.4%), and Cholburi (6.4%).
The top three popular places to go for the Thai New Year celebration are Pattaya (28.3%), Bangkok’s Khao San Road (22.9%), and Chiang Mai’s moat (15.5%). Most people who are travelling in May plan to go during the National Labor Day (1 May) and Coronation Day (5 May).
Moreover, 79.2% of accommodation providers expect the tourism atmosphere to be robust during the Songkran Festival, and 53.7% said that they expect the atmosphere to be bustling during the long holidays in May. However, 46.3% believe that the atmosphere will continue to be dull due to the low season among foreign tourists, Thailand’s sluggish economy and the prolonged political unrest.
The poll also asked about the upcoming World Cup that will be held in Brazil from June 12 to July 13. Almost 60% of respondents said they will watch the matches live, 39.5% said they planned to watch at their friend’s house, 35% at restaurants, and 23.5% at outdoor activity squares. 65.7% of operators answered that they still do not have any plan for the World Cup, but 18.7% will extend closing time for restaurants or hotels’ pubs, and 13.3% will hold activity centers in hotels.
The TAT firmly believes that prominent cultural events, including the Songkran Festival, serve as a significant magnet that attracts tourists and that Thai tourists will travel to the beaches during the long holidays in May.
