Tens of thousands of revelers, including throngs of foreign tourists sporting floral shirts and plastic water guns, descended on the streets of Bangkok on Thursday (13 Apr) for the biggest traditional new year gathering since the pandemic.
Festivities for Songkran, a much-loved Thai festival sometimes described as the world’s largest water fight, had been muted or barred for the past few years due mainly to disease restrictions.
However, as travelers now return to Thailand, the key tourism sector is helping revive Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Revelers – many of them soaked to the skin – walked through a half-kilometer long stretch in Bangkok’s tourist hub of Khaosan Road, indiscriminately firing water guns and dancing to music blaring from kerbside establishments.
Government data figures indicate that Thailand beat its target of 6 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter, recording 6.15 million visitors between January and late March.
According to projections by the Tourism Council, at least 30 million tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year and spend 1.5 trillion baht (43.74 billion US dollars).
Businesses expect tourist numbers to rise as summer approaches.
A strong recovery in the tourism sector will be a key driver for Thailand’s economy to grow by as much as 4% this year – the fastest rate in five years. (NNT)
