BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand is confronting a difficult convergence of economic pressure and holiday-season urgency as a sudden rise in fuel costs ripples through transport, food supply chains and domestic travel just weeks before Songkran, the country’s biggest annual travel period. Diesel prices have climbed to 38.94 baht a liter from 29.94 baht in February, a jump of roughly 30 percent, after subsidy support faded and the broader energy shock tied to Middle East conflict pushed costs higher.

Separate reporting has described overnight retail fuel increases of as much as 14 percent to 22 percent across some products, deepening concern among households and businesses.

The strain is especially acute in the fishing industry, where operators in Samut Sakhon, Thailand’s largest fishing port, say the economics of going to sea are quickly breaking down. More than half the local trawlers are already docked, according to Reuters, and industry leaders warn that if diesel edges closer to 40 baht a liter, more boats could stop operating altogether.

Thailand exported about $7 billion in fishery products in 2024, making the disruption a threat not only to coastal livelihoods but also to food supply and export earnings.

At the same time, the tourism industry is trying to prevent the fuel shock from undermining Songkran demand. Thailand’s aviation regulator has coordinated with six airlines to cut domestic fares by 15 percent to 30 percent on 11 key routes and add 191 flights, creating nearly 30,000 extra seats for travel between April 10 and April 15. The move is intended to protect domestic travel even as jet-fuel costs have risen sharply and broader transport anxiety has begun to weigh on bookings.

Thai officials have responded with a dual message of reassurance and intervention. Government statements say the country has oil reserves sufficient for about 100 to 103 days, while the Finance Ministry is considering an excise-tax cut to limit the rise in retail fuel prices. That official response reflects a broader international judgment that Thailand’s troubles are part of a wider energy shock now being felt across Asia and beyond, as disruptions linked to the war involving Iran drive up oil, shipping and aviation costs.

The result is a picture of an economy trying to preserve movement even as costs surge: fishermen slowing their boats to save fuel, travel operators discounting aggressively to keep passengers moving, and policymakers racing to prevent an external energy crisis from spilling further into domestic confidence.

For Thailand, Songkran is not only a holiday test but also a measure of how much economic activity can still be sustained when the price of fuel begins to dictate the pace of daily life.