Lisa of celebrated K-pop girl group BLACKPINK recently visited Ayutthaya after finishing her concerts in Bangkok. Her social media photo posts, in which she wore Thai-style clothes while posing in front of various historical sites and tourist attractions in Ayutthaya, are expected to spark a surge in visitor numbers to the province. Acknowledging this, the provincial administration of Ayutthaya carried out a major cleaning activity at the main train station in the city ahead of the anticipated wave of arriving tourists.
Ayutthaya Provincial Governor Niwat Rungsakhon and Ayutthaya Red Cross Chapter head Watcharaphon Rungsakhon led participants in an activity promoting the cleanliness of the province’s city area. The activity saw the participation of about 800 volunteers from public agencies, the private sector, and educational institutes. The participants collected trash, carried out cleaning, and made improvements to the ambiance along a 5-kilometer stretch of a railway track in Ayutthaya.
The activity was triggered by social media posts by the State Railway of Thailand’s (SRT) PR team inviting people to travel from Bangkok to Ayutthaya by train to visit the various attractions in the province that recently became backdrops for Lisa’s social media posts.
The provincial governor said the clean-up would ensure that visitors are impressed with the cleanliness of Ayutthaya City. He said a major clean-up will be organized every second Wednesday of each month and volunteers from all sectors will be invited to participate. He noted there was a large amount of trash in the vicinity of the train station in Ayutthaya City. The litter was previously difficult to collect as it laid below a layer of undergrowth that had only been recently cleared away, exposing the litter underneath. Part of the litter had already been removed using machines.
Niwat noted it was important to beautify the surroundings of the train station as visitors to the province will deboard their train there. He also called on locals to help maintain the cleanliness of the city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so that Ayutthaya is always ready to welcome visitors. (NNT)
