Thailand celebrates grand Songkran festival to boost tourism

Illustration photo: Xinhua News Agency

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects Songkran to return on a grand scale this year thanks to a faster-than-expected recovery in the tourism market. Thai government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri quoted TAT as saying that major festivals will be held in five major regions of the country.

TAT also launched the fifth phase of the "Rao Tiew Duay Kan" (We Travel Together) program to promote the "smokeless industry".

A Thai government spokesman confirmed that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has directed the issuance of guidelines to promote Thai tourism and believes that these measures will help the country's tourism industry recover quickly.

Thailand celebrates Songkran festival to boost tourism - Photo 1.

Thai people and tourists participate in the Songkran water festival to celebrate the Thai New Year, in Bangkok, April 14, 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo: Reuters)

Songkran is the traditional New Year holiday in Thailand. The official New Year is April 13 every year, but the holiday usually lasts until April 15. The official New Year in Thailand started on April 13 every year until 1888 when the Land of Golden Pagodas moved the Lunar New Year to April 1. Starting in 1940, Thailand switched to celebrating the first day of the new year on January 1 of the Gregorian calendar.

This water festival is held with the meaning of splashing water to wash away bad luck, get rid of worries and fatigue in the old year, and at the same time bring luck and happiness in the new year to the people and tourists participating. The image of splashing water to make each other wet is the symbol of Songkran in Thailand. The meaning behind splashing water is the desire to wash away the worries and bad things of the old year, and at the same time welcome the new year with the best things.

Since the beginning of the year until March 18, Thailand has welcomed 5.57 million foreign tourists.

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