Nearing to one of the most anticipated cultural festivals in Thailand, Songkran, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) commenting on the number of expected visitors. It is expected that 2.3 million locals and foreign visitors will join Songkran festivals this year, generating some 20 billion baht in revenue for tourism and tourism-related services.
Yuthasak Supasorn, the TAT governor, has stated that some 300,000 international arrivals are expected to celebrate the five-day festival starting from April 12, along with 2 million locals. “The number of visitors has grown from previous years as the government approved an extra holiday on April 12 in addition to the scheduled April 13-16,” he added.
In regards to this, Mr Yuthasak admitted that he was a bit concerned about a certain condition of poor air quality at provinces in the North, home to a major Songkran festival in the region. One of the most concerning regions that he meant was Chiang Mai which is currently struggling with haze that’s caused by open-air burning of farm waste and rubbish. Mr Yuthasak said that the heavy smog has resulted in temporary suspension of flights between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son. Furthermore, he also stated that he hopes the situation in the North provinces improves soon.
Speaking on the 59th anniversary of the TAT, Mr Yuthasak said that the agency will continue to promote tourism to reduce economic inequality by encouraging tourists to visit the 55 second-tier provinces.
Source: Bangkok Post, Seasia. Image: AFP