This week’s three- week- much Songkran event with festivities to take place across the country is expected to give tourism a many- needed boost as it is expected to bring in tens of billions of baht in tourism income.
After Unesco late included the traditional Thai New Year festival on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List, the government and the private market are planning to organize a number of Songkran Festival activities global, especially in key tourist destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya.
The Bangkok Post met with business owners and those involved in the hospitality sector to discuss whether it would be feasible to carry the Songkran festival for such a long time and what activities would be planned to keep visitors entertained for the three-week festival and generate revenue.
PM2.5 priority in Chiang Mai
The PM2.5 waste cloud that is already choking Chiang Mai, according to La- iad Bungsrithong, an assistant to the Thai Hotels Association’s Northern Chapter, may deter guests ahead of the Songkran event.
It’s still to be seen if the cloud situation will enhance before Songkran, she said.
However, she hopes the number of guests to Chiang Mai may improve as a result of the government’s aggressive campaign to promote the Songkran event.
Ms. La-iad reported that the local authorities and the private business are collaborating to keep the Songkran event in the northeastern province from today until April 17, which is a longer period than the usual three-day period of April 13 to April 15.
She predicted that if the fog condition improves between April 12 and April 16, the occupancy rate for more than 60, 000 hotel apartments in Chiang Mai, where various types of accommodations are offered to different groups of customers, would increase to 65-70 %. The occupancy rate is also expected to reach an average of 55–60 % for the whole month of April, she added.
She said Chiang Mai is one of the important tourist destinations that the TAT has designated to honor the TAT’s new designation as an intangible cultural heritage object in recognition of the holiday’s new status.
The standard ritual of collecting waters from solutions revered as sacred in the northeastern province between April 4 and May is another show of the Songkran event in Chiang Mai.
The collected waters will then be delivered to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep for a gift rite on April 10.
From April 12 through April 16 during the Songkran festival, the water may be distributed in jars as presents to locals and visitors to Chiang Mai, according to Ms. La-iad. She said this classic function has been held for four consecutive times.
A host of Songkran festivities will also be organised at another effectively- known tourist spots in Chiang Mai, quite as Tha Phae Gate of Chiang Mai’s old city walls and Nimmanhaemin Road– a stylish and vibrant neighbourhood in central Chiang Mai.
Between April 12 and April 16, the Chiang Mai office of TAT predicted that there will be more than 132, 000 tourists there.
More than 100 000 of them will be visitors from the country, and the rest will be foreigners, bringing in more than 1.2 billion baht in revenue.
Pattaya ready for festival
Locals in Chon Buri hold their own version of the traditional Thai New Year, known as” Wan Lai” ( Flowing Day ), after the celebrations in other parts of Songkran come to an end.
Poramet Ngampichet, mayor of Pattaya City, announced that the Wan Lai festival would take place on April 19 at the city.
The first part of the event will be centred around Wat Chai Mongkol, focusing on the cultural side of the Songkran festival, including a ceremony to pour water on a Buddha image at the local temple.
The session will run from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. from the afternoon to the evening. Pattaya Beach will become a contemporary entertainment area with a water fight for fun and renowned Thai and international DJs, singers, and rock bands performing on stage, he said. Roads will be closed to traffic.
” There will be at least five performance stages along the Pattaya beach to entertain revellers”, Mr Poramet said.
On April 20, he announced that a local traditional rite, known as the Kong Khao ( Rice- Piling ) festival, will also be observed.
The ceremony is held in Chon Buri province to pay homage and ask for blessings from guardians and deities to ensure the safety and well-being of local communities.
In the ceremony, people dressed as angels or spirits parade through the town to receive food and snacks from residents sitting along the streets.
According to Mr. Poramet, there were about 23 million visitors to Pattaya last year, of which the majority were Thais, adding that more foreign tourists are expected to visit this year after Covid- 19 has cooled and with the support of the government’s tourism campaign.
Since the start of the year, hotels have been booked for 90 %, with Chinese tourists accounting for the majority of visitors to Pattaya, according to Mr. Poramet.
He added that more than 600 police, with the aid of security cameras installed across Pattaya City, will ensure tourists ‘ safety during the festival, while patrol boats will also be deployed to prevent any accidents in the sea.
Bhunanan Patanasin, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, stated that Pattaya City actually hosts cultural events and other activities every April, which coincides with the government’s three-week-long Songkran festival.
On April 12,” We will host the Wan Lai festival in Chon Buri’s Muang district.” The festivals will also take place in tambon Nakluea in Bang Lamung district on April 18, in Pattaya on April 19, and the last days starting April 20 in Sattahip”, he said.
He added that Pattaya residents who will be visiting during Songkran have safety measures in place.
The three-week Songkran festival will provide operators of nightlife venues with a chance to profit from tourists, according to Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, secretary of the Entertainment &, Tourism Association of Pattaya City. Revenue is anticipated to increase by 20 to 30 % over the course of the three-week event.
” Pattaya is known as a destination for nightlife entertainment. The extended Songkran festival is being prepared by all nightlife venues. He claimed that some well-known DJs have been hired by international DJs to play at some of the festival’s venues.
He added that the nightlife venue operators have also prepared measures to screen patrons for drugs, weapons and underage visitors.
Mr. Damrongkiat also demanded more security measures be put in place to stop unintended events at the festival.
Khao San Road’s Songkran is
Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, welcomed the government’s 21- day- long Songkran festival, saying Unesco’s recognition of the festival helps promote its popularity.
He noted, however, that the private sector in Bangkok has little information regarding the specifics of the government’s plans to hold events in the capital over the course of a 21-day period.
” The government must specify when and where the events will take place in order for the TAT to promote the festival to draw tourists. The government seems to be quiet”, Mr Sanga said.
He stated that for three days, April 13 through April 15, Songkran activities will be held at Khao San Road, the city’s most well-known Songkran celebration site.
The three-day period will allow for the water-spinning fun to continue until 9pm.
” The festivities on Khao San Road are expected to draw about 100, 000 visitors, and bring more than 100 million baht”, Mr Sanga said.
Sanan Angubolkul, the head of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, also emphasized the need for the government to promote the three-week Songkran festival more effectively to draw in foreign visitors.
He suggested that the government should share more information about the 21-day festival so that visitors can travel to various provinces where the events take place throughout the nation.
B7bn expected for Phuket
The Patong Municipality has collaborated with the government and the private sector to hold” Songkran Water Music Festival on the Beach 2024″ events with water fights from April 12 to April 14 at Patong Beach, according to Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri.
The next day will start with alms offerings to monks, traditional shows, and respectful pouring water on the elderly’s hands, followed by more music performances by DJs and water fights, and midnight will feature music performances on April 12.
The last day will also feature music performances by DJs during water fights from midday to midnight.
On April 13, the Phuket Heritage Wave 2024 ( Songkran Splash in Phuket Old Town ) event will take place in Muang district, and the Songkran No Alcohol event will also take place in front of Limelight Avenue in Muang district on the same day.
From April 15 to April 16, the Muang District’s Dibuk Road, Phuket Old Town, will host the Water Festival.
Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of Phuket’s TAT office, said yesterday that the island province is expected to be crowded during the Thai New Year holiday from April 12–16.
Despite the island’s low tourist season, he claimed, the hotel booking rate has already reached almost 80 % capacity.
He predicted that the 264, 350 people who will visit Phuket during Songkran will spend an average of 6, 625 baht per day, which would bring 7.04 billion baht to the island.
According to the TAT, this year’s 21- day- long Songkran festival is projected to generate 52.5 billion baht in domestic tourism revenue, with provinces in the east securing the most income.
The TAT predicted that local visitors would spend 52.5 billion baht during this time, up from the 13 billion baht recorded during the regular five-day celebration in 2023.
While the Maha Songkran World Water Festival festival runs from April 1 through April 21, according to a spokesman for the government, it does not take place simultaneously in all provinces.
He said that the TAT has a calendar outlining the celebrations nationwide that will be extended across 21 days from April 1–21, with the main celebrations being held from April 13–15 in almost every province.
He praised the authorities for improving communication and making sure visitors are given accurate information to avoid miscommunications.