Thailand to increase number of public holidays in 2025 to stimulate tourism

Thailand will have 21 official holidays, excluding compensatory days, by 2025 to boost tourism and the economy in general.

Tourists wait for buses to return home during the Songkran holiday in April this year, at Mo Chit bus station in Bangkok, Thailand. (Source: Bangkok Post)

The Thai cabinet has approved additional public holidays for the coming year 2025 and January 2026, with longer weekends to boost tourism and the economy in general.

Following a cabinet meeting this week, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the additional holidays will be added on June 2 and August 11 next year - both on Mondays - to create four-day weekends to mark Queen Suthida's birthday (June 3) and Mother's Day (August 12).

In addition, the government announced an additional holiday on Friday, January 2, 2026, to extend the New Year holiday to five days, from December 31, 2025 to January 4, 2026. This means Thailand will have 21 official holidays, excluding compensatory days, in 2025.

In recent years, Thailand has introduced additional public holidays to support the tourism industry and aid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tourism plays a major role in the Thai economy, accounting for about 12% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and nearly 20% of employment.

Deputy government spokesman Sasikan Wattanachan said the addition of additional public holidays was also in line with the move by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's administration to designate 2025 as the Year of Tourism and Sports.

About 30 million foreign tourists have visited Thailand so far this year, putting the country on track to meet the government's full-year target of 36.7 million arrivals.

Foreign tourists prize Thailand for its vibrant nightlife, beaches and abundant national parks, and the country is on track to improve on its pre-pandemic record next year as global travel demand rebounds strongly, according to online travel platform Agoda.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thai-lan-tang-so-ngay-nghi-le-trong-nam-2025-de-kich-cau-du-lich-294078.html