Thailand’s travel market has staged a swift recovery in the wake of the March 28 earthquake, with digital travel data confirming a resilient return to booking activity within days.
“We saw a noticeable dip in bookings around Songkran, which coincided with the aftermath of the earthquake, but once authorities confirmed Thailand was safe and insurance companies reinstated coverage, the pickup returned just three to four days later,” said Panawan Khaikaew, director of sales, Thailand at Amadeus.
Amadeus data shows passenger traffic to Bangkok is up 13 per cent year-on-year, supported by an increase in scheduled seat capacity.
“This indicates sustained interest and strong conversion from intent to actual travel,” commented Panawan.
The recent Travel Insights 2025 report released by Amadeus and UN Tourism shows that Thailand continues to be the dominant destination in South-east Asia and holds the top spot in both searches and bookings.
Inbound travel to Thailand continues to be dominated by mature, affluent travellers aged 36 to 65. Despite this high-value demographic, hotel occupancy has softened since May, falling below 2024 levels, even as ADRs remain consistently higher year-on-year.
Most months in 2025 have seen higher ADRs than the previous year, particularly in Bangkok, suggesting that many guests are willing to pay more for value-added experiences.
“This ‘demand up, occupancy down’ trend points to resilient pricing power and stronger traveller spending,” said Katie Moro, vice president of data partnerships at Amadeus.
“However, the gap between elevated rates and falling occupancy may also indicate pricing fatigue or competition from alternative accommodation,” she elaborated, observing that this underscores the need for hotels to align pricing with guest expectations through better segmentation, added inclusions, and targeted offers.
Despite a slight drop in direct bookings – from 43 per cent to 41 per cent – and a steady OTA share, Panawan sees opportunity.
“Our data shows that reinvesting in loyalty, SEO, and retargeting will be key to reclaiming direct guests,” she advised.
Moro pointed out how giving hotels access to airline booking data can inform hotel revenue and marketing strategies.
“Over 50 per cent of passengers flying to Bangkok book 61-plus days in advance. That gives hotels a lead window for pre-arrival upselling, personalised marketing, and strategic pricing,” she noted.
“Take South Korea, for instance – they may rank lower in travel searches, but they rank second in confirmed (air) bookings to Bangkok. And we’ve now identified a surge in premium-class ticket sales from this market – that’s a strong indicator for luxury hotels,” said Moro.
Hotels historically have not turned to airline data, but Moro noted its value lies in longer lead times – 60 to 180 days for flights versus just 0 to 14 for hotels – giving hoteliers more time to plan.
Panawan added that Thai hotels, especially local chains, are becoming more data-driven in response.
