After years of “dry” Songkran events, Thailand has finally seen a complete revival of its traditional New Year celebration activities, including the popular water fights enjoyed by tourists worldwide.
From Thursday through Saturday (13-15 Apr), Thailand transformed into a massive playground for both locals and visitors, as people flooded the streets armed with water guns and buckets, soaking everyone in their path.
On the first day of Songkran, the famous shopping district of Siam Square in Bangkok was packed with people, including many Chinese tourists.
Dressed in bright floral shirts, Chinese tourists immersed themselves in the festive Songkran atmosphere by chasing and frolicking around in the crowds.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand has seen a significant increase in Chinese tourists, with 269,745 in March alone, a 70% increase from February, and over 8,000 daily arrivals in the first four days of April.
For tourists, there was nothing quite like a vigorous and exhilarating water fight and splashing around to cool down during the scorching Thai summer heat.
Silom Road, not far from Siam Square, was reportedly packed with people, and the cheers and screams could be heard from hundreds of meters away.
Due to the growing demand from the Chinese market, the TAT has revamped its target for Chinese tourist arrivals from 5 million to 9 million for this year.
As part of the Songkran festival, the authority arranged a special caravan tour for Chinese tourists. According to TAT Deputy Governor Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, 1,200 Chinese tourists drove 400 caravans from the north into Thailand to participate in the festival celebrations. (NNT)
