Thailand’s tourism industry is adapting to challenging conditions ahead of the 2026 Songkran holiday.
Amid global volatility, flight disruptions and high travel costs, both the hospitality and aviation sectors are introducing discounts and increasing capacity to stimulate domestic and regional travel.
According to a report by the Bangkok Post, hotel operators have slashed room rates by 20 to 40 per cent to attract guests during the upcoming Thai New Year. Three-star and lower-tier properties are leading the price cuts to retain local guests, while four- and five-star hotels are maintaining their prices.
This pricing strategy comes in response to a drop in European and Middle Eastern arrivals, largely driven by flight connection disruptions linked to geopolitical conflict in the Gulf.
Domestic travel has also been affected by local fuel shortages and rising pump prices, with Thai travellers unable to find fuel or hesitating to book long-distance road trips.
Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the Upper Northern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, noted that forward bookings for the April Songkran holiday have fallen to 55-60 per cent from 60-70 per cent. In a normal year, the surge of Thai New Year travel pushes occupancy rates to 90 per cent; this year, the hotel sector is targeting around 70 per cent occupancy.
Paisarn added that Chiang Mai’s tourism outlook remains relatively stronger, supported by returning Chinese visitors and growing Asian markets. Chinese forward bookings for Songkran have increased by 10-20 per cent, while authorities are proceeding with a full 12-day Songkran festival.
To ease the financial burden on travellers and encourage domestic movement, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has intervened.
As reported by The Thaiger, CAAT is working with six major airlines to reduce domestic airfares by 15 per cent to 30 per cent on 11 popular routes, including flights from Bangkok to key destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Samui.
Despite a global increase in aviation fuel costs, the initiative will see the addition of 191 flights and nearly 30,000 extra seats between April 10 and April 15.
Airlines are also increasing capacity, with Bangkok Airways adding two dozen extra flights to Samui, while Thai Airways is deploying wide-body aircraft to accommodate the festival period.
