32% increase over normal days
The traditional Thai New Year takes place from April 13 to 15, but a week before that, many groups of Vietnamese tourists, mainly young people, choose to travel independently to Thailand. Vinh's group, living in District 3, went to Thailand from April 14 to 16. "These days fall on the weekend, so we just need to ask for Friday off to go. Except for the past 3 years of the pandemic, we did not go to Songkran, but before that, we went continuously for many years because Thai New Year is very fun, with many exciting and vibrant festivals. Thai people celebrate New Year differently from us. Their New Year is an occasion for tourists from all over the world to come and have fun, without closing any shops or restaurants," Vinh shared.
Crowds of Vietnamese tourists return to Thailand every year to celebrate the country's traditional New Year.
During the water festival, Thailand organizes a series of festivals such as the Waterbomb Bangkok music festival, also known as the water war, attracting a large number of young people to participate; the 4-day Siam Songkran music festival, only for people over 20 years old; the Surawongse outdoor food festival... Not to mention, famous entertainment areas in Thailand also organize dense programs and shows during the traditional New Year.
According to Mr. Vinh, the group traveled on their own. They all bought their own plane tickets, booked hotel rooms, ate and drank... The cost was therefore double the usual package tour price of travel companies, but in return, they had flexible hours.
On the occasion of Songkran, travel companies in Ho Chi Minh City also sell Thai New Year tours very early, the package price is quite cheap and not different from normal days. Ben Thanh Tourist sells a 5-day, 4-night Bangkok - Pattaya tour for 6.99 million VND, flying Nok Air, landing at Don Mueang airport; and flying Vietnam Airlines landing at Suvarnabhumi, departing on April 11. Saigontourist also introduces tours to visit Thailand combined with experiencing the Songkran water festival for 5 days and 4 nights, departing on April 13, priced at 7.99 million VND...
According to domestic travel agencies, the number of customers buying Thai New Year tours from April 8 to April 16 increased compared to the previous normal week. Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, said that nearly 700 customers registered for tours and combos to Thailand (air tickets, hotels) during the Songkran water festival, an increase of about 32% compared to normal days. Vietravel's Thai New Year tours have diverse prices from 5.49 to 7.99 million, 10.99 million and 13.49 million VND/person.
Most Vietnamese tourists travel independently because Thailand is not too unfamiliar.
Be careful of dirty water splashes
Songkran, derived from the Sanskrit word "sankranti", which roughly translates to "transformation of the universe", is celebrated from April 13 to 15 every year, marking the Thai New Year. It is also a time to pay respect to ancestors. Splashing water symbolizes washing away sins and bad luck, which is also a theme throughout the festival. The final day is called Wan Payawan, or Buddha Bathing Day.
Many people call Thai New Year the water fight, an event that takes place nationwide, but the atmosphere is especially lively in Bangkok, where in 2011 the Guinness World Record for the largest water gun fight was broken (3,477 people shot water at each other for 10 minutes).
Thai New Year has been an opportunity for Thailand to attract international tourists, promote the destination and boost domestic spending. Before the pandemic, in 2019, more than 522,000 international visitors came to Thailand during Songkran week alone, generating more than 8 billion baht in revenue. In 2018, about 500,000 foreign visitors came to Thailand to celebrate the New Year, according to The Nation newspaper.
However, the large number of tourists also causes unrest during the Thai New Year. In particular, excessive drinking has long been the biggest challenge that the country's police face during the holiday.
Last year, 278 people died and 1,869 were injured in traffic crashes between April 11 and 16. Drunk driving contributed to more than 60 per cent of reported fatalities, with the majority of crashes involving motorcycles and pickup trucks, according to SCMP .
For many Thais, especially the older generations, the original meaning of Songkran has been lost as the festival has become commercialized and over-the-top.
Every year, the water guns get bigger and the fire hoses that spray water at tourists become more dangerous, making motorcyclists fearful and accidents are always imminent because of the powerful force of the shots.
Additionally, some warn that the water used during the festival is potentially contaminated. For example, the brown oyster water in Chiang Mai is of questionable quality but is used for splashing, so visitors are advised to protect their eyes with goggles and avoid drinking the water.
In addition, frequent changes in body temperature due to over-indulgence during the hottest time of the year, as well as being doused with buckets of ice water, lead to colds and flu in April.
However, the most notable thing is that recently, before Songkran 2023, the Thai Pollution Control Department (PCD) warned people not to use water from 18 sources during Songkran because of pollution. The unsafe water sources include the river sections that flow through Bangkok and Nonthaburi.
Visitors need to wear glasses and not drink water while playing because the water source may be contaminated.
Water samples were collected from 61 locations across the country ahead of Songkran, where large amounts of water are used for water splashing, said Pornsak Phuim, an official from the PCD. Sources of poor quality water tend to be located along river mouths, where there are many industrial plants and densely populated communities.
Tests found 18 river locations unsafe due to polluted water. The 18 rivers include the Chao Phraya River that runs through Bangkok and Nonthaburi's Bang Kruai and Pak Kret districts, as well as rivers in Nan, Lop Buri, Phetchaburi, Chanthaburi, Chumphon and Rayong.
Thailand has long linked cultural promotion to tourism promotion campaigns, actively promoting festivals and encouraging foreigners to learn about cultural festivals held throughout the year. Among them, Songkran in April and Loi Krathong in November appear in every Thai tourism promotion campaign both domestically and internationally.
Songkran Festival is part of Thailand's 5F soft power platform which includes Food, Film, Festival, Fight and Fashion.
In the first three months of the year, Thailand welcomed 6.15 million international visitors, exceeding the target of 6 million. In 2023, 30 million international visitors are expected to arrive in the country.
Source link
Comment (0)