The three-week much Songkran festival, which will take place throughout the nation, is anticipated to significantly improve tourism because it will generate tens of billions of ringgit in tourism revenue.
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 throughout the country, especially in key tourist destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya.
The Bangkok Post met business operators and those involved in the tourism industry for talks on whether it is practical to keep the Songkran festival for such an prolonged period and what activities may be organised to keep interesting tourists during the three- week- extended festival and bring tourism revenue.
Chiang Mai’s PM2.5 issue is high
The North Section of the Thai Hotels Association’s advisory group, La-iad Bungsrithong, expressed concern that Chiang Mai’s current PM2.5 waste haze may detract from visitors ahead of the Songkran event.
It remains to be seen whether the fog situation will enhance before Songkran, she said.
She hopes that the government’s aggressive campaign to promote the Songkran event will result in more customers to Chiang Mai.
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 said if the fog condition improves between April 12 and 16, the hotel reservation level is expected to reach 65–70 % for more than 60, 000 hotel rooms in Chiang Mai, where various types of lodging are available for different groups of customers. She added that the occupancy rate is expected to increase for the entire month of April to an average of 55 to 60 %.
She said Chiang Mai is one of the key tourist destinations that the TAT has designated to honor the TAT’s new designation as an intangible cultural heritage item in recognition of the holiday’s new status.
Another highlight of the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai is the traditional rite of collecting water from sources regarded as sacred in the northern province between April 4 and 9.
Wat Prathat Doi Suthep will receive the collected water for a blessing rite on April 10.
From April 12 through April 16 during the Songkran festival, Ms. La-iad said that the water will be given to locals and visitors to Chiang Mai in bottles as gifts. This traditional event has been held for four consecutive years now, she said.
Other well-known tourist attractions in Chiang Mai will host Songkran celebrations, such as the trendy and vibrant Nimmanhaemin Road and Tha Phae Gate of Chiang Mai’s ancient city walls.
More than 132, 000 tourists are expected to visit Chiang Mai between April 12 and April 16 according to the TAT’s Chiang Mai office.
Of them, more than 100, 000 will be domestic visitors and the rest will be foreigners, bringing more than 1.2 billion baht in income.
Pattaya gearing up for the festival
After the end of Songkran festivities in other regions, locals in Chon Buri hold their own version of the traditional Thai New Year, known as” Wan Lai” ( Flowing Day ).
Pattaya City mayor Poramet Ngampichet said the Wan Lai festival in Pattaya will be held on April 19.
Wat Chai Mongkol will serve as the focal point for the first half of the celebration, with a ceremony to pour water on a Buddha image at the local temple. The event will also feature a ceremony to pour water on a Buddha image.
The session will run from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. from the afternoon to the evening. Roads will be closed to traffic and Pattaya Beach will be turned into a modern entertainment zone, featuring a water fight for fun and renowned Thai and international DJs, singers and rock bands performing on stage, he said.
According to Mr. Poramet,” There will be at least five performance stages along the Pattaya beach to entertain the crowd.”
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 seek blessings from guardian spirits and deities to ensure the well- being and safety of local communities.
People posing as angels or spirits parade through the town to get food and snacks from the people who line the streets.
According to Mr. Poramet, there were 23 million visitors to Pattaya last year, of which the majority were Thais, adding that more foreign tourists are expected to visit this year as Covid-19 has cooled and the government’s tourism campaign has been supported.
The hotel booking rate, particularly at beachfront areas, has reached 90 % since the start of the year, with Chinese tourists forming the largest group of visitors to Pattaya, Mr Poramet said.
He added that patrol boats will also be deployed to prevent any accidents in the sea, and that more than 600 police, with the aid of security cameras installed across Pattaya City, will ensure tourists ‘ safety during the festival.
According to Bhunanan Patanasin, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, Pattaya City actually hosts cultural events and other events every April, which coincide with the government’s three-week-long Songkran festival.
” We will host the Wan Lai festival in Chon Buri’s Muang district on April 12. He added that the festivals will also take place in Sattahip on April 18 and April 18 in Bang Lamung district, Pattaya on April 19; and on April 20 in Bang Lamung, Pattaya on April 19.
He added that the local authorities have implemented safety measures to boost the spirits of visitors to Pattaya during Songkran.
Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, secretary to the Entertainment &, Tourism Association of Pattaya City, said that the three- week- long Songkran festival will be an opportunity for nightlife venue operators to make a fortune from tourists, with income expected to rise by 20–30 %.
” Pattaya is regarded as a destination for nightlife entertainment. The extended Songkran festival is being prepared by all nightlife venues. Operators of some big venues have hired international DJs to perform during the festival”, he said.
He added that the operators of nightclubs have also set up screening procedures for drug, weapon, and underage patrons.
Mr. Damrongkiat also demanded more security measures be put in place to stop any untoward events during the festival.
Songkran on Khao San Road
The government’s 21-day-long Songkran festival was welcomed by Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, saying Unesco’s support of the festival helps boost its popularity.
He noted, however, that the private sector in Bangkok is only provided with limited information regarding the details of the Bangkok government’s plan to hold events over the course of 21 days.
” The government must make clear when the events will take place, and where, so the TAT can promote the festival to attract tourists. The government appears to be quiet, according to Mr. Sanga.
He stated that for three days, April 13 to 15, Songkran activities will be held at Khao San Road, the city’s most well-known Songkran celebration site.
The water- splashing fun will be allowed to take place until 9pm during the three- day period.
According to Mr. Sanga,” the festivities on Khao San Road are expected to draw around 100, 000 visitors and bring in more than 100 million baht.”
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.
” The government should communicate more about the 21- day- long festival so tourists can visit several provinces where the festivals are held across the country”, he said.
B7 billion is anticipated 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.
April 12 will feature music performances by DJs during water fights from midday to midnight, and 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.
DJs will also play music during the final day of water fights from noon 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.
The Water Festival will also take place at Dibuk Road, Phuket Old Town in Muang District from April 15–16.
Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, director of Phuket’s TAT office, stated on Saturday  that the island province is anticipated to be crowded during the Thai New Year holiday from April 12 to April 16.
Despite the island’s low tourist season, he claimed, the hotel booking rate has already reached almost 80 % capacity.
The 264, 350 people visiting Phuket during Songkran will spend on average 6, 625 baht per day, bringing 7.04 billion baht to the island, he said.
The 21-day Songkran festival, according to the TAT, is expected to bring in 52.5 billion baht in domestic tourism revenue this year, with provinces in the east securing the most money.
The TAT predicted that local visitors would spend 52.5 billion baht during this time, up from the 13 billion baht recorded during the annual 5-day celebration in 2023.
Government spokesman Chai Watcharonke recently told the Bangkok Post that while the Maha Songkran World Water Festival festival lasts from April 1 to 21 across the country, activities are not held simultaneously in every province.
He claimed that the TAT has a calendar that lists the events taking place across the country and will span the days of April 1 through April 21, with the main events taking place between April 13 through April 15 in almost every province.
He praised the authorities for improving communication and making sure visitors are given accurate information to avoid miscommunications.