BANGKOK, 11 April 2012 – The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has predicted that up to 25 billion-baht will come into circulation during the 7-day long Songkran holiday and that tourist count will rise by 5-10%.
TCT Chairman Kongkrit Hirunkij has indicated that money circulation in the tourism sector during the Songkran festival 2012 would see an improvement of 5-10% in comparison with that in the previous year on account of a better political situation. Additionally, given Songkran, the Thai New Year, is a long holiday, the public tend to have more plans to travel than they do during any other period of the year.
Meanwhile, he stated that the sensitive areas for this holiday season remain to be Hat Yai district in Songkhla province as well as the three southernmost provinces. Surveys have indicated that tourists who initially intended to travel to the South have changed their destination to the North instead. However, almost all regions of the country will see a 5-10% increase in both Thai and foreign tourist figures.
Mr. Kongkrit explained that Thailand currently sees an average of 1 million tourists per day, with each individual spending around 4,000 baht a day. Thus, it is safe to assume that, during the upcoming seven-day holiday, the country will see a circulation of no less than 25 billion baht.
The TCT Chairman added that the provinces which will see a lot of money circulation include Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, as they are connected by low-cost and direct flights from many countries.
