Songkran in full swing as Thailand prepares to welcome back long-haul visitors in large numbers

[webfact]

Revellers in the Siom area of Bangkok this week as they continued to celebrate the Songkran holiday with spontaneous fun and water battles using colourful water guns.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

Thailand is set to welcome over 1.5 million Russian visitors this year as the Ukraine war, in one respect at least, has proved a boon to foreign tourism in Thailand with over five hundred and ninety-one thousand visitors sent to April 5th last. The return of more long-haul visitors with up to 80% of pre-pandemic flight capacity in addition to the reopening of China, has left officials with the tourism promotion agency busy trying to maximise the country’s prospects for 2023 as it targets anywhere from 25 to 30 million foreign tourist arrivals.

Thailand is celebrating Songkran this week with gaiety and colour throughout the country particularly in foreign visitors hotspots such as Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. The festivities coincide with positive signs that the country’s foreign tourism industry is recovering with good news regarding the return of valuable long haul visitors from key western markets also in the pipeline, according to a senior Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) official despite higher airfares since 2020.

Thailand’s 2023 annual Songkran festivities are in full swing across the kingdom with Bangkok’s Silom Road again becoming the centre of activity with holidaymakers armed with water guns and buckets splashing each other, having fun and soaking up the carefree atmosphere.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/04/14/songkran-in-full-swing-as-tourism-recovers/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-04-14

 

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[smedly]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand is set to welcome over 1.5 million Russian visitors

have fun getting rid of them lol

 

they have two choices - escape Russia or be sent to Ukraine to be slaughtered in a T34 - Thailand sounds good for 30 days 

[Will B Good]

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

the Ukraine war, in one respect at least, has proved a boon to foreign tourism in Thailand

Behind every silver lining there's another cloud

[dinsdale]

Maybe TAT needs to keep up with the news concerning the Russians.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-draft-system-overhaul-military-conscription-invasion-rcna79280

Russia set to overhaul draft system, making it nearly impossible to avoid military conscription

The changes would help the Kremlin close loopholes that have helped thousands avoid the war in Ukraine.

 

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to enforce an electronic draft system that would make it nearly impossible for men to avoid conscription, 

 

According to the law, men would be barred from leaving the country from the day they receive the summons and until they appear at a military recruitment office.

Edited April 14, 2023 by dinsdale

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

men would be barred from leaving the country from the day they receive the summons

So many will jump the gun...........maybe TAT is correct........ 1.5 million on their way.

[dinsdale]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

So many will jump the gun...........maybe TAT is correct........ 1.5 million on their way.

Not sure about that as the news story says this system could be implemented as early as this week.

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Not sure about that as the news story says this system could be implemented as early as this week.

I could even start to feel for some of them.......imagine being totally opposed to Putin and his war mongering and then being sent to the frontline?......horrendous.

[dinsdale]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

I could even start to feel for some of them.......imagine being totally opposed to Putin and his war mongering and then being sent to the frontline?......horrendous.

I can only agree. Doesn't make for the best armed forces. 

[spidermike007]

All that is required for 30 million visitors to show up, is opening the borders and making a wish. It is good thing these officials wield so much power over the universe. Thailand should be grateful to these great souls, who possess so much power, that no changes or sacrifices needed to me made to get back to normal. 

[markclover]

It's not like it was before the covid.  The streets used be lined with people playing.  And entire roads turned into street parties.

 

I always went to the smaller local towns because there is a wider selection of parties and different scenes.

 

I had a plan to put my Hulk mask on and scare kids.  <deleted> to that now.  Worst Songkran I have seen in 8 years.

Edited April 14, 2023 by markclover

[alex8912]

2 hours ago, markclover said:

It's not like it was before the covid.  The streets used be lined with people playing.  And entire roads turned into street parties.

 

I always went to the smaller local towns because there is a wider selection of parties and different scenes.

 

I had a plan to put my Hulk mask on and scare kids.  <deleted> to that now.  Worst Songkran I have seen in 8 years.

Silom Songkran is a completely water downed version of for sure 2015 to 2019 Songrans.  Silom Rd is open to traffic on both sides this afternoon with people on sidewalks just not having the old fun. The side sois are practically empty. I don't see this Songkran being the big money maker another thread suggests. Maybe 2024 will be bigger. 

[bradiston]

They don't treat the Burmese refugees quite the same way, do they? Forced repatriation of 12,000 recently. Not welcome at all. Nor Rohingya. It's all strictly business for the Thais.

[RandiRona]

How many went back? They aren't tourists, they are draft Dodgers or refugees. Not that it matters to Junta...

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, bradiston said:

They don't treat the Burmese refugees quite the same way, do they? Forced repatriation of 12,000 recently. Not welcome at all. Nor Rohingya. It's all strictly business for the Thais.

As it would be strictly business for any nation and their policies. 

We shouldn't single out Thailand for it's seemingly nasty hypocrisy - everyone's this way.

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, zzaa09 said:

As it would be strictly business for any nation and their policies. 

We shouldn't single out Thailand for it's seemingly nasty hypocrisy - everyone's this way.

Maybe, but Europe and the USA are soaking up, and have throughout history, 100s of thousands from all around the world. Not popular I'm sure, but both continents were built on migration, much of it forced, but much of it of incalculable benefit to the host nations. Every American was an immigrant somewhere along the line.

 

And the Thai people never existed prior to Phiboon scrapping Siam. Suddenly, you were Thai or nobody. Not Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Mon, Chinese, Tai, Hmong or any of the other tribes, nationalities and stateless people who came to make up the bulk of the Thai population.

Edited April 14, 2023 by bradiston