Bangkok-

Thailand is in the midst of Songkran festivities, celebrating the country’s traditional New Year, with millions of people taking part in the world’s largest water festival.

Thai officials and business owners welcomed the celebrations, which enhance the country’s soft power and promote economic development.

In many areas of Thailand, including the capital Bangkok, the public Songkran festival usually starts on April 13 and lasts for three days. But this year, due to a long weekend public holiday in Thailand, Songkran starts a day earlier. In some areas, such as the northern city of Chiang Mai, public water-drawing ceremonies tend to last longer.

Millions of domestic and foreign tourists celebrate the festival, boosting business for Thai tourism companies.

Chan Holland, owner of Canary Travel in Bangkok, said she believed this year’s Songkran Festival attracted more tourists.

“More people are coming to Songkran this year; for Thais and [international] Tourists,” she told VOA. “The Royal Courtyard in front of the Grand Palace hosts concerts, performances and parades. The Thai government is working to promote the festival more broadly internationally. “

May Kung, co-owner of Ruen Thong restaurant in Bangkok, said bookings have increased.

“My restaurant [bookings] Better than last year. about 20% [busier],” she told VOA.

Thais enjoy the festivities by visiting temples, cleaning Buddha statues and participating in public water fights, which are considered cleansing rituals. In Bangkok, excited revelers from Thailand and abroad started splashing water as early as Thursday.

People in the capital wore colorful, floral shirts and armed with toy water guns and buckets, drenching each other from morning till night.

Authorities closed major roads for the crowds, but crowds continued to march together in popular areas such as Silom district, Khao San Road and Royal Fields Square near the Grand Palace. The Siam Songkran Music Festival is another major event taking place over the weekend.

The Thai government says the Songkran celebrations, officially known as the Maha Songkran World Water Festival, will be extended this year. Previously, UNESCO designated the Songkran Festival as an intangible cultural heritage in December.

“In honor of the holiday recently designated by UNESCO, we will celebrate the 2024 holiday [for up] Nithee Seeprae, deputy director of marketing communications at the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told VOA: “For three weeks from April 1 to 21, all 77 provinces unite to celebrate on an unprecedented scale.”

Confusion among some international visitors put a damper on the celebrations. Some international tourists believed the public water fights would continue for the full three weeks, prompting the Thai government to respond that the celebrations would not take place at the same time.

But the holiday does come at a time when worries in Thailand are less severe than in recent years. The Southeast Asian country has been plagued by political unrest, military coups and the COVID-19 pandemic over the past decade.

“This is the first year of the civilian government and there is no real fear of COVID-19,” Pravit Rojanaphruk, a senior journalist with the English-language Khaosod newspaper, told VOA.

After nine years of military rule, Thailand is now led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Officials say the Songkran festival showcases Thailand’s soft power.

“The Srettha government is very keen to promote Songkran as an important festival on the global calendar, and in this regard, Thailand is succeeding, although Songkran is also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and even parts of China,” Pravit added.

While Songkran is one of the biggest festivals on Thailand’s calendar, the nationwide event provides a significant boost to an economy that relies heavily on tourism.

This industry provides approximately 20% of employment opportunities in Southeast Asian countries. The number of tourists in Thailand will reach 28 million in 2023 and is expected to reach 35 million in 2024.

Nithee Seeprae said: “We estimate that more than 500,000 international visitors will attend the 2024 World Songkran Festival in Bangkok and surrounding areas from April 11 to 15, joining locals and domestic tourists to take part in this year’s celebrations. Extravaganza.”

He added: “In terms of economic benefits, international tourism revenue was 8.76 billion baht (approximately US$240 million), domestic tourism revenue was 15.66 billion baht (approximately US$428.3 million), and the number of inbound tourists was 510,000. There were 4.29 million tourists.”

Tourism analyst Gary Bowerman said he believed the Thai government will want to maximize Songkran’s impact but must be cautious about over-celebrating the festival in the future.

“Essentially, Thailand is seeking to ‘expand the concession’ to make Songkran a nationwide three-week festival to promote water-themed tourism,” he told VOA.

“The timing is important because it’s the beginning of the traditional off-season, and [Tourism Authority of Thailand] It does not expect momentum to drop significantly in the first quarter as it has set itself ambitious visitor numbers targets for the full year.

“The risk is that it could end up diluting the cultural resonance of Songkran and turning it into a less meaningful event in the longer term. There’s a lot we can learn from turning it into an extended festival in its first year Something. The national tourism industry may see further changes next year based on the experience of Songkran Festival 2024.”