Three holiday spots in demand

Latest data from online travel website Expedia shows a notable surge in demand for Chiang Rai, Pattaya and Hua Hin from international travellers.

Judging largely from the robust growth in hotel bookings in the first half of the year, international travellers are increasingly heading to these three destinations.

Expedia said its hotel partners in Chiang Rai benefitted the most, with a year-on-year growth of 70%, followed by Pattaya (60%) and Hua Hin (40%).

The UK and the US are two of the top inbound markets that together make up almost one-fifth of the total for Chiang Rai and Pattaya, according to Expedia.

International tourists in all three markets book over a month in advance, almost twice as early compared to domestic travellers.

They are also staying 1.5 times longer than domestic visitors, the travel service said.

Expedia’s packages, which combine booking services for air tickets, hotels and cars, performed even better in the first half.

International demand for Expedia’s packages rose across all three destinations, with Pattaya leading the way at 170% in year-on-year growth, followed by Hua Hin with 90% and Chiang Rai with 50%.

Demand from mobile customers doubled on average for Chiang Rai and Pattaya, while hoteliers in Hua Hin have seen an increase of almost twothirds in bookings through mobile devices. Other findings from Expedia:

*Chiang Rai, on the whole, is experiencing impressive growth from inbound travel with triple-digit growth from Germany (140%), Hong Kong and France (120%), Canada and South Korea (110%).

*Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea alone contribute to one-quarter of the total inbound demand to Pattaya.

*Swiss travellers are likely to be the group that Hua Hin hoteliers most appreciate since they have seen a triple-digit growth in demand (160%).

*Sweden and Denmark together made up almost one-fifth of the total demand Expedia delivers to Hua Hin hoteliers.