Nationality says much about travel habits, according to a study by Booking.com, and Thais prefer travelling with time to relax and to places their friends have not been.
Some 89% of Thai respondents said "giving myself time to relax is an important motivation to travel", while 78% said motivation to travel was to "go to places my friends have not been".
Unsurprisingly, getting time to relax was the main travel motivation across all nationalities except Danish and French, who wanted to "be free to act how I feel" instead.
Thais also found nostalgia a major influence on their travel habits, with 77% saying they travel to "rediscover past good times". Travellers from Thailand also said being physically active and having experiences they couldn't have at home were important motivational factors.
The study also found personal safety, cleanliness and good local food to be the main factor for Thais in choosing a destination. Thailand followed by Laos, Myanmar and Singapore were the top destinations for Thai travellers.
A separate study by Expedia found overall inbound travel to Thailand increased 10% in 2018, with Hong Kong travellers contributing 11% of the total, followed by Singapore and the US.
Despite the increase in visitors, air tickets rose 5% in 2018 compared with 2017.
The report said the best way to get the cheapest flight is to book three weeks in advance and try to book on Sunday, which can offer as much as 20% in savings. Conversely, the most expensive day to book is Friday, with prices reaching 5% above average.
However, the opposite is true for flying. Friday is the cheapest day to actually fly, while Sunday is the most expensive. The same goes for booking a hotel, where Friday is the cheapest day to book, and Sunday is dearest.
