TRUE’s Songkran mobility data shows Isaan tops travel growth, with Chinese visitors leading inbound check-ins
TRUE Corporation’s real-time mobility data for April 11-15, 2026 shows Songkran travel spread more widely nationwide, with Isaan posting the strongest growth. Inbound roamers rose 2.5%, led by China, while outbound Thai travel jumped 24.5%.
TRUE Corporation Plc said its latest Mobility Data highlights shifting travel patterns and real-time digital usage during Songkran 2026, showing more evenly distributed travel nationwide, led by the Northeast (Isaan), while international arrivals continued to rise, with Chinese tourists ranking first.
TRUE’s mobility data covering April 11-15, 2026 found that 15.5% of residents from Bangkok and the metropolitan area, and 4.5% from the Eastern region, travelled during the period. Travel to other regions increased markedly, with Isaan posting the strongest growth at +12.6%, followed by the North (+7%), Central (+3.6%), and the South (+2.2%). TRUE said the figures reflect both homecoming travel and the continued rise of secondary destinations.
Top provinces by visitor volume
The five provinces recording the highest number of visitors during Songkran were:
- Buri Ram
- Ubon Ratchathani
- Si Sa Ket
- Roi Et
- Nakhon Si Thammarat
Isaan accounted for four of the top five destinations, underlining the region’s importance for both tourism and festival homecoming travel.
Inbound and outbound travel trends
TRUE said inbound roaming tourists increased 2.5%, led by:
- China
- Malaysia
- Russia
- Lao PDR
- India
Outbound travel by Thais rose 24.5%, with the most popular destinations:
- China
- Lao PDR
- Malaysia
- Japan
- Taiwan
Bangkok hotspots for Songkran network use
Bangkok residents and foreign tourists continued to favour central celebration areas, driving the highest growth in mobile network use at:
- Khao San Road
- Silom Road
- ICONSIAM
- Siam Square
- CentralWorld
(TRUE noted Silom’s event ran April 12-14, while most other locations continued through April 15.)
The five provinces with the highest overall data usage were:
- Bangkok
- Chon Buri
- Samut Prakan
- Pathum Thani
- Samut Sakhon
Most-used platforms during Songkran
TRUE said social media remained dominant for real-time sharing. For TrueMove H customers, the top five platforms were:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- LINE
For dtac customers, the top five were:
- YouTube
- TikTok
- LINE
Khurrum Ashfaque, Chief Network Officer at TRUE Corporation Plc, said the data reflects not only festival travel but wider digital-era shifts where living, travel and communication happen simultaneously in real time. He said TRUE used AI and an autonomous network system to manage demand—adjusting capacity in dense areas and maintaining signal quality 24/7 so customers could use 5G, 4G, WiFi and home internet continuously and reliably.
TRUE said it will continue analysing this year’s mobility insights to further improve network planning for future peak periods, especially in major Songkran hubs such as Silom, Siam Square and Khao San Road, and in key tourist provinces including Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Chon Buri.
