Massive cash circulation expected during National Mother’s Day

Public spending during the upcoming long weekend to celebrate the annual National Mother’s Day is likely to reach 1.1 billion baht, reflecting the central role of mothers in Thai families.

Thanawat Pholvichai, Rector of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) and Advisory Chairman of the university’s Economic and Business Forecast Center, told reporters this week that the figure was based on a recent survey of 1,422 randomly selected respondents from across the country.

Most of the respondents — 58.1% — who plan to visit their mothers said they would prefer to give a cash gift, averaging 3,115 baht each. Other popular gifts include flower garlands, life or health insurance policies, lottery tickets, or even energy drinks.

Some respondents also expressed a desire to spend quality time with their mothers during the special four-day weekend, such as treating them to lunch or dinner, making merit together, or taking them on domestic trips to popular destinations.

Thanawat noted, however, that spending among those planning outbound trips with their mothers during the National Mother’s Day festivities in 2025 is expected to drop by about 20% compared to 2024 — from approximately 15,000 baht per trip to around 12,000 baht per trip.

This decline, mainly driven by the domestic economic slowdown and the impact of recent Thai-Cambodian border tensions, is likely to limit overall public spending growth for National Mother’s Day in 2025 to just 1.9%, according to the rector.