BANGKOK – The Songkran Festival is currently celebrated across Thailand, and the government expects this festival to increase revenue in the second quarter of this year.
Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), announced that the TAT expects total tourism revenue of 613.6 billion baht for the second quarter of 2024 (April-June). The main factors behind this growth are the “Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024”, which takes place April 1-21.
TAT expects the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024 will inspire more travel and tourism activities during April 12–16, resulting in 24.42 billion baht in overall tourism revenue, an increase of 18% when compared to the same period in 2023.
This constitutes 8.76 billion baht from international tourism and 15.66 billion baht from domestic tourism, with 510,000 visitor arrivals and 4.29 million domestic trips.
Songkran celebrations in Bangkok are expected to generate 3.69 billion baht in revenue and attract 653.590 domestic trips, while the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration organised a full-scale event with up to 118 points by dividing Songkran into two styles: “little wet” cultural activities, including events at Sanam Luang from April 12 to 14, and “very wet” spashing water activities, highlighted at Khao San Road, Phra Nakhon District, Khao San World Water Festival UNESCO 2024, and Silom Road.
As a result, TAT expects that in the second quarter, domestic trips will account for 44.4 million, generating 245.7 billion baht in revenue, an increase of 19 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
For foreign tourists, 8,272,300 arrivals are expected, an increase of 29 percent compared to the same period last year and and accounting for 92 percent of 2019.
This will generate revenue of 367.9 billion baht, an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous year and and accounting for 95 percent of 2019.
Domestic tourism in the first quarter of 2024 (January-March) grew year-on-year with 41.18 million domestic trips, an increase of 10 percent, and 228.1 billion baht in tourism revenue, an increase of 8 percent.
The main factors for this growth were a strong upswing in domestic tourism with 1.3 million more visitors than the 8 million in the October-December 2023 period and the total of 9,381,098 foreign tourists visiting Thailand, an increase of 44 percent, which generated 476 billion baht in tourism revenue, also an increase of 44 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
ASEAN, Europe and South Asia have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, while Northeast Asia has recovered well at 67 percent of 2019 levels, exceeding expectations.
The top 10 source markets for foreign tourists to Thailand are: China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, India, Germany, Laos, United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. Together, these 10 markets account for 65 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand.
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