Grab, the ride-hailing and food delivery platform provider, revealed data on the “Top Trends of 2025,” compiling statistics from its travel and food ordering services via the app. The data shows that ride-hailing remains popular among both Thai and foreign customers. Despite a slowdown in the tourism industry this year, ride-hailing services continue to grow, especially for trips to secondary tourist cities and spiritual destinations. Meanwhile, food delivery has been boosted by the Khon La Khrueng program, as well as increased use of discounts and reservations through the app for dining in restaurants.
Grab reported that the “Ganesh Shrine” at Huai Khwang intersection has become a new hotspot with ride-hailing bookings increasing by 678%, as Thai spiritual believers and foreign tourists flock to pray for success and good fortune in life.
Additionally, the Grand Palace, Khao San Road, and Yaowarat (Chinatown) have emerged as the most popular tourist spots. Grab’s ride-hailing service remains popular among both Thai and international tourists, with the top three most frequented destinations being airports, bus terminals, and shopping malls.
Regarding tourist cities, besides major provinces like Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya, secondary provinces continue to see increased popularity thanks to government tourism promotion policies, including the “Thai Tourism Khon La Khrueng” project and the “We Travel, We Get Refund” measure.
The top five secondary provinces with the highest ride-hailing usage are Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, and Nakhon Sawan. Meanwhile, Nakhon Nayok stands out as the fastest-growing province with ride-hailing bookings increasing more than ninefold, due to its proximity allowing day trips, and attractions such as Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam, Nang Rong Waterfall, Wang Takrai Park, and the Red Lotus Sea.
Cultural festivals and events remain key drivers stimulating travel and tourism. This year, the Loy Krathong festival, especially the Yee Peng tradition in Chiang Mai, saw ride-hailing usage grow by 44%, followed by the Songkran festival.
In terms of events, concerts by both Thai and international artists continue to boost ride-hailing demand. Notably, the BLACKPINK WORLD TOUR IN BANGKOK concert caused ride-hailing bookings to Rajamangala National Stadium to increase nearly fivefold compared to normal periods.
Although tourism has slowed, app-based ride-hailing remains a primary choice for foreign tourists. The top five nationalities using the service are Chinese, American, Singaporean, British, and Malaysian.
Especially during China’s Golden Week or National Day, Chinese tourists increased their ride-hailing usage by nearly 50% compared to normal periods. Meanwhile, tourists from Georgia are the fastest-growing group, with ride bookings rising more than tenfold.
Another reason for the growth in ride-hailing is the addition of budget options like SAVER for cars (GrabCar SAVER) and motorcycles (GrabBike SAVER), which have become extremely popular with usage growing more than 289%. This reflects current consumer behavior seeking more affordable options amid economic tightening.
Advance booking services remain popular with growth exceeding 50%, primarily used for airport trips. Meanwhile, the eco-friendly Grab EV Rides feature, which helps users find electric vehicles as a first choice, also attracts interest, with usage increasing by 58%.
According to Grab’s report, “Som Tum” remains the best-selling dish with over 16 million orders annually, especially the Som Tum with pickled crab and fermented fish variant. Following is “Khao Man Gai” (chicken rice) with over 1.5 million orders, boosted by the viral Gundum Effect in Japan that increased the dish’s popularity in Thailand, then “Larb Moo” (spicy minced pork salad) with over 1 million orders.
The top-selling drinks this year are “Thai iced tea” (including Thai milk tea and bubble tea), overtaking the previous champion, iced Americano, with over 11 million cups ordered annually. This is influenced by Lisa’s collaboration with Erawhon on the “Thai up the World by Lisa” menu, which went viral worldwide. Next is “Green tea,” with over 9 million cups sold, fueled by a matcha craze that caused shortages and viral trends lasting over a year. Iced Americano ranks third with over 8 million cups ordered.
The best-selling bakery item this year is “Shio Pan,” a salted bread originating from Japan and popularized in Korea before going viral in Thailand, with sales growing over 36 times. Meanwhile, the “Kyohō grape iced cheese cream tea” is the fastest growing beverage, with sales increasing over 17 times. The “Hand Roll” menu is also gaining momentum, offering an omakase-style dining experience at accessible prices, with orders growing over 300%.
Additionally, brand collaborations remain a key marketing strategy to add novelty and excitement. The top-selling collaboration this year is the “Proudly, Made in Thailand” project, where the egg tart brand YOLK partnered with four Thai brands—O-Ka-Ju, Songwad Coffee Roasters, Kaew Boutique, and Jian Cha—to create four new menus that instill pride in Thai people, boosting daily sales by 48%.
Besides ordering food for delivery, dine-in trends have significantly grown. Users increasingly purchase discount deals and make restaurant reservations through the app for special occasions or group dining.
The three most popular types of restaurants are buffets, grilled meat (yakiniku) restaurants, and Japanese eateries. The fastest-growing restaurant of the year is “Kanori Hand Roll Bar,” recognized as Thailand’s first Japanese-style hand roll bar, with sales growing more than fivefold over the past three months.
The hottest program of the year is undoubtedly “Khon La Khrueng Plus,” which boosts sales for both dine-in and delivery restaurants. Consumers prefer to use Khon La Khrueng Plus mostly for lunch orders, averaging around 80-120 baht per order.
Bangkok residents lead in using Khon La Khrueng Plus via delivery platforms, while the top-selling restaurant on Grab is “Siam Kaprao Café - Banthat Thong,” which has seen average sales growth 14 times higher than usual.
Follow the Facebook page: Thairath Money at this link -https://www.facebook.com/ThairathMoney