How Much Does a Company Outing Cost? How to Calculate the Cost per Person

Company outings departing from Bangkok typically cost THB 1,000–15,000 per person for domestic trips and THB 15,000–35,000 per person for trips to nearby countries. The total depends on the trip length, destination, and group size. Add variable and fixed costs, set aside a 10% contingency, and divide by the number of attendees.

Table of Contents:

How Much Does a Company Outing Cost? How to Calculate the Cost per Person
What Is the Average Cost per Person for a Company Outing?
What Costs Should a Company Outing Budget Include?
How Do You Calculate the Cost per Person for a Company Outing?
Are Company Outing Expenses Tax-Deductible?
How Can You Get More Value From Your Company Outing Budget?
Company Outing Costs at a Glance

What Is the Average Cost per Person for a Company Outing?

A two-day, one-night domestic trip from Bangkok costs around THB 2,500–6,000 per person. A day trip without an overnight stay costs only a few thousand baht per person. The biggest cost drivers are the number of nights and whether the group flies.

Trip format	Example destinations (departing from Bangkok)	Budget per person (THB)	Best for
Day trip, no overnight stay	Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom, Bang Kachao	1,000–2,500	Small teams, tight budgets, or a half-day of Team Building activities
2 days, 1 night by bus	Pattaya, Hua Hin, Khao Yai, Kanchanaburi	2,500–6,000	Trips combining a seminar with time to relax
3 days, 2 nights domestically (by air)	Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi	6,000–15,000	Annual trips or performance rewards
3–5 days in nearby countries	Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia	15,000–35,000	Companies using an outing as an incentive trip

Note: These ranges are rough planning estimates for groups of 30–100 departing from Bangkok, rather than official benchmarks. Actual rates vary by season and accommodation category. Request at least three quotes before deciding.

What Drives Up the Cost per Person?

Timing: Accommodation costs more on Fridays and Saturdays, over long weekends, and during peak travel season (Nov.–Feb.) than on weekdays in the rainy season.
Room occupancy : Sharing a twin room can nearly halve the accommodation cost per person compared with single occupancy.
Activities and facilitators: Activity teams and external facilitators charge a flat fee, so smaller groups pay more per person.
Transportation: Airfare can account for more than half the budget when flights are booked close to departure.

What Costs Should a Company Outing Budget Include?

Company outing costs fall into two categories. Variable costs increase with attendance, while fixed costs stay the same regardless of group size. Keeping them separate makes it easier to estimate the cost per person accurately.

Expense category	Type	Approximate share of budget	Examples
Accommodation	Variable	30–40%	Guest rooms, extra beds
Food and beverages	Variable	20–25%	Meals, refreshments, evening reception
Transportation	Fixed (vehicle) / variable (airfare)	15–25%	Bus rental, fuel, tolls, airfare
Activities and venue	Fixed	10–15%	Meeting room, activity team, facilitators, photographer
Insurance and souvenirs	Variable	5–10%	Travel accident insurance, team shirts, individual souvenirs
Contingency	–	10% of the total	Unexpected expenses, additional attendees, price increases

These shares are approximate. Actual costs vary by trip format. In the Hua Hin example below, attendees share twin rooms, so accommodation accounts for about a quarter of the budget.

How Do You Calculate the Cost per Person for a Company Outing?

Add up all variable and fixed costs, add a 10% contingency, and divide by the number of attendees.

Cost per person = [(variable cost per person × number of attendees) + total fixed costs] × 1.10 ÷ number of attendees

Example: Two-day, one-night Bangkok–Hua Hin outing for 50 people

Item	Type	Assumptions	Amount (THB)
Accommodation	Variable	Twin room at THB 2,000 per room = THB 1,000 per person	50,000
Meals	Variable	4 meals + 2 refreshment breaks = THB 1,000 per person	50,000
Team shirts + accident insurance	Variable	THB 300 per person	15,000
2 buses, Bangkok–Hua Hin round trip	Fixed	THB 18,000 per bus	36,000
Meeting room + activity team	Fixed	Flat fee	25,000
Photographer + prizes	Fixed	Flat fee	18,000
Subtotal before contingency		Variable costs: THB 2,300 per person × 50 = THB 115,000 / Total fixed costs: THB 79,000	194,000
10% contingency			19,400
Total budget			213,400
Cost per person		213,400 ÷ 50	4,268

How Does Group Size Affect the Cost per Person?

A larger group spreads fixed costs across more people, but costs rise in steps when an extra bus is needed. Each bus seats about 40 attendees, excluding staff. The figures below use the same assumptions as the example above.

Number of attendees	Buses	Total budget including contingency (THB)	Cost per person (THB)
30	1	143,000	4,767
50	2	213,400	4,268
80	2	289,300	3,616
100	3	359,700	3,597

Tip: Check whether each quote includes 7% VAT. Many providers quote before tax, which can push the actual cost above budget.

Are Company Outing Expenses Tax-Deductible?

Yes, if the outing is an employee benefit offered generally and the company keeps the supporting documents. These costs qualify as business expenses and are not treated as disallowed expenses under Section 65 ter of the Thai Revenue Code. Personal expenses or gratuitous payments to third parties are disallowed under Section 65 ter (3).

Scenario	Deductible?	Reason
Open to all employees under the company benefits policy	Yes	General employee benefit provided for business purposes
Annual seminar with a work or training agenda	Yes	Supports employee development and business operations
The company pays for family members or other guests to attend	May be disallowed	The guests are not employees, so the expense may be considered a gratuitous payment under Section 65 ter (3).
Open only to selected executives	Case-by-case assessment	May be considered a personal benefit for the executives and included in their taxable employment income under Section 40(1).

Documents the Accounting Team Should Keep

Employee benefits policy or notice specifying the outing
Itinerary and list of participating employees
Full tax invoices and receipts issued in the company’s name
Withholding tax certificates for service payments subject to withholding
Contracts or quotes from service providers. If using a tour operator, choose one licensed under Thailand’s Tourism Business and Guide Act B.E. 2551 (2008).

How Can You Get More Value From Your Company Outing Budget?

Start with an accurate headcount, set a per-person spending cap, and apply the cost-per-person formula to each quote to compare value. These five steps can help keep spending on budget.

Confirm the headcount before requesting quotes. Pull employee lists by department or branch from your HR system instead of counting manually. The headcount determines how many rooms, vehicles, and meals you need.
Set a per-person spending cap. Use the trip format table as a guide and choose a specific amount as your limit.
Request three itemized quotes. Ask each provider to list variable and fixed costs separately so you can compare quotes on the same basis.
Choose weekdays or off-season dates. This can save the most on accommodation while maintaining the quality of the activities.
Tie activities to business goals. An annual performance review or a cross-department workshop can give the trip more value at work than a purely recreational outing.

Company Outing Costs at a Glance

A domestic company outing departing from Bangkok costs around THB 1,000–15,000 per person. A two-day, one-night trip typically costs THB 2,500–6,000 per person. Calculate the per-person budget as [(variable cost per person × group size) + fixed costs] × 1.10 ÷ group size. For example, a Bangkok–Hua Hin trip for 50 people costs around THB 4,268 per person. If the outing is a general employee benefit and the company keeps the supporting documents, the costs can be deducted for tax purposes.

Company Outing Budget FAQs

When is the best time of year to hold a company outing?

Popular times include after the annual financial close or early in the year to communicate new goals. Avoid the financial close itself and the busiest periods for your business to minimize disruption to the team’s work.

Can a company require employees to attend an outing?

If attendance is mandatory, time spent at the outing is generally treated as working time. If it takes place on a holiday, obtain employees’ consent under Section 25 and pay holiday work pay under Section 62 of Thailand’s Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998). Holding the outing on a workday or making attendance explicitly voluntary is a safer approach.

Should employees who skip the outing receive compensation?

There is no legal requirement to pay compensation. It depends on company policy. If the company offers cash instead, it counts as employment income under Section 40(1) and must be included when calculating the employee’s income tax.

Should employees on probation or part-time employees be invited?

The company can set its own eligibility rules. State them clearly in the benefits policy, for example by including everyone who is actively employed on the departure date. Using the same criteria every year helps prevent disputes and makes the headcount easier to confirm.

How do you measure the value of a company outing?

Survey attendees within one week of the trip and track longer-term measures such as eNPS, turnover, and employee engagement scores before and after the event.

Related articles