This unique craze originated from a recently popular video clip online, which showed a group of male tourists wearing traditional Thai female costumes.
This group of male tourists visited Wat Arun (Vietnamese name is Binh Minh), the oldest temple in Bangkok. The costumes they wore received positive feedback from the Thai online community.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said wearing traditional costumes has become an increasingly popular tourist activity in recent years. The trend is so popular that even male tourists wear traditional women's clothing.
“On average, 25.8 million foreign tourists visit Bangkok every year, and most of them visit the temples and palaces in the old town, as well as the nearby shopping areas,” said Thapanee Kiatphaibool.
The top 10 most visited temples in Bangkok are concentrated mainly in the Rattanakosin area, led by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) and the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), which have seen a 'wave' of cross-dressing tourists. This has been enthusiastically supported by Thai netizens. Thapanee expressed TAT's support for the trend, saying it is a testament to Thailand's inclusive nature and cultural diversity.
“This freedom, even in choosing clothes, reflects Thailand's openness to everyone,” Ms. Thapanee added.
Furthermore, this trend will promote the uniqueness of Thai traditional costumes for tourism activities, in line with the government's strategy to promote soft power.
In the first quarter of this year, Bangkok earned 216 billion baht from tourism, with 14.6 million visitors, including domestic and international markets. The number of visitors to Bangkok increased by 7.2% in January and 4.8% in February, then decreased by 4.5% in March compared to the same period last year. Tourism revenue in Bangkok increased by 33.1% in January, 33.6% in February and 15.2% in March.
Chanyuth Sawetsuwan, head of the TAT in Bangkok, said there are about 10 shops that rent Thai costumes near the palace, with prices usually below 1,000 baht (about 700,000 VND). Some restaurants in the area have sought to boost their revenue by partnering with costume rental shops, offering discounts to customers wearing traditional Thai costumes.
Mr Chanyuth said these activities create a positive atmosphere for popular tourist spots and benefit Bangkok, as the city has a high proportion of foreign tourists, about 45%.
Popular photo spots like the Temple of Dawn welcome more than 3 million foreign visitors each year, and the number is expected to increase this year.
TH (according to Vietnamnet)Source
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