March 26, 2026 | 08:59 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Luxury hotels across Thailand are offering massive discounts to attract domestic tourists during the April 2026 Songkran Festival. This move comes amid the weakening arrival of international tourists, particularly from Europe and the United States, due to travel disruptions related to conflicts in the Middle East.
As reported by Bangkok Post, hotel operators have started offering discounts of 20-40 percent to attract tourists. The Thai Hotels Association mentioned that European guests, who usually contribute 30 percent of all Chiang Mai visitors during this time every year, have canceled their April reservations due to the inability to fly to Thailand.
Thai citizens and expatriates can even enjoy discounts of up to 70 percent at five-star hotels, whose usual nightly rates reach up to US$1,000, or around Rp17 million. For instance, at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, one of the most iconic riverside properties in the capital, room prices are now below US$300 or Rp5 million per night.
In southern Thailand, a luxury resort is offering stays starting at around US$430 or approximately Rp7.3 million per night, roughly half the usual rate.
Flight Cancellations
These massive promotions arise as the closure of airspace related to the conflict in Iran disrupts major Europe-Asia travel routes, making travel to Thailand more complicated and expensive.
The Thai Hotels Association estimates that this situation will persist for at least six months, as tourists will be less confident in booking new trips in the near future. There are currently no new bookings from the European or Middle Eastern markets.
As reported by Vn Express, the Thai Ministry of Tourism is concerned about losing 596,000 visitors and revenues of 40.9 billion baht, or around 21.2 trillion, if the conflict continues for more than eight weeks.
Thailand also experienced a decline in tourism last year amidst a combination of kidnapping incidents, floods, and border conflicts. The country is targeting 37 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, an increase of over 11 percent from 2025. As of mid-March, Thailand has recorded 7.9 million arrivals, with China, Malaysia, and Russia remaining the main source markets.
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