Surge in Cross-Border Tourism: Thailand Welcomes Over 300,000 Lao Nationals in Early 2024

In a surge of cross-border tourism, Thailand welcomed over 300,000 Lao nationals in the first three months of this year. This influx has placed Laos among the top 10 countries for foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand, as reported by Thai media.

Also, in 2023, a total of 919,401 Lao travelers visited Thailand, marking a significant increase compared to 2022. Meanwhile, the number of Lao travelers recorded in Cambodia just exceeded 370,000 throughout 2023, according to the country’s Ministry of Tourism.

Many factors contributed to Thailand’s popularity among Lao tourists, including the beaches of Phuket and Krabi, the metropolitan area of Bangkok, and the cultural heritage sites of Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya.

Other factors include close geographical proximity, cultural and linguistic similarities, and improved transportation connectivity between the two countries. Currently, Laos boasts four friendship bridges connecting to Thailand, with the fifth one nearly complete.

On the other hand, Laos also welcomed thousands of Thai visitors this year, with over 330,000 arrivals in the first quarter, marking the highest number of foreign visitors in the country.

As cross-border tourism increases, both Laos and Thailand benefit from the exchange of visitors between the two nations.