Songkran first year recognized as intangible cultural heritage

China tops the list of countries with the largest number of tourists visiting Thailand during Songkran.

Songkran celebrations have been focused on by the government since the beginning of the year nationwide, with the highlight being the organization of folk festivals during Tet with locations where people gather to participate in outdoor water splashing activities. According to incomplete statistics, in the capital city of Bangkok, there have been nearly 100 locations that have been zoned off and closed off by government officials to organize the festival.

Recently, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin also assessed that the organization of the traditional Songkran Festival was successful as expected. The venues were packed with attendees and the number of foreign visitors increased from the beginning of the year until Songkran. The Thai government has stepped up promotional activities for this event to enhance the status of Songkran, especially to attract tourists to Thailand .

Statistics show that at two locations in Bangkok alone, the Thai government organized to welcome Songkran with the Songkran World Water Festival 2024 from April 11-15, it attracted 784,883 visitors, of which 693,288 were Thai and 91,595 were foreigners, generating a total of 2.886 billion baht in revenue, equivalent to nearly 100 million USD.

Water splashing is an activity loved by Thai people and foreign tourists during Songkran.

In addition, the 30-day visa exemption for Chinese tourists from March 1 this year has also increased the number of foreign tourists to Thailand to a record number. Statistics from relevant Thai agencies show that from January 1 to April 14, there were 10,723,953 foreign visitors to Thailand, generating revenue of more than 518 billion baht, equivalent to 14 billion USD for the Thai economy .

Among foreign tourists to Thailand, Chinese tourists ranked first with 2,031,552 arrivals, followed by Malaysian tourists with 1,391,057 arrivals, Russian tourists with 695,624 arrivals, Korean tourists with 619,186 arrivals and Indian tourists with 546,935 arrivals.

Meanwhile, during the 6 days of Songkran, there were 1,811 traffic accidents that killed 243 people and injured 1,837 others. Of the 5,786 collisions, 5,589 were related to drinking and driving.

Compared to last year, the number of traffic accidents decreased by more than 10%, partly due to increased public awareness, and partly as a result of the Thai government tightening alcohol testing for road users not only during Songkran.

nhandan.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/songkran-nam-dau-tien-duoc-cong-nhan-la-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-post382960.html