Maha Songkran Splash: Over a Million Revellers Shower Thailand in Cash

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of TAT

 

BANGKOK - The Maha Songkran World Water Festival, a major draw for tourists and locals alike, attracted over one million visitors between 11 and 15 April, generating a staggering 1.58 billion Thai Baht (THB) for the Thai tourism sector.

 

The grand event was part of the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism & Sports Year 2025” campaign, focusing on elevating Thailand to a top festival destination on the global stage.

 

Deputy Spokesperson Anukul Phruksanusak proudly reported that 1,106,999 festival-goers attended, with nearly 100,000 being foreigners.

 

The festival included vibrant parades, dazzling 3D drone light shows, and electrifying EDM performances, all contributing to its acclaimed success.

 

The Thai government collected a cool 678 million THB in taxes from festival earnings, showcasing the substantial economic impact of such festivities.

 

 

 

This year's festival marked a new chapter for Thailand, proving its capability to host large-scale international events with flair. Beyond financial gains, it showcased the power of Thai culture and traditions, boosting the grassroots economy and supporting local tourism entrepreneurs.

 

AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn

 

According to survey responses, a remarkable 97.49% of attendees left satisfied, and a substantial number expressed interest in exploring more of Thailand’s charm.

 

Overall, during the Songkran holiday period from 12 to 16 April, Thailand welcomed more than 5.27 million visitors, reflecting a 27% increase from the previous year.

 

The Thai economy saw a total boost of 22.27 billion THB. With regions like Bangkok and the Northeastern part of the country leading in visitor numbers, Thailand demonstrated its enduring appeal on the world tourism map, cementing its reputation as a premier festival hotspot.

 

Based on a story by The Nation

 

-- 2025-04-19

 

 

[impulse]

I'm curious what city this was?  Info missing from the OP.

 

Edit:  I Googled it and the 2024 festival was in Bangkok, so I assume it was in Bangkok this year.  (Not in the northeast)  But I figured AI should have snuck that info into the article.

 

[Ralf001]

And the moaners in another thread crying about how songrkan is bad for businesses !

 

Songkran is a great boost to the Thai economy and a decent reduction in road deaths.... Whats not to like.

[mfd101]

16 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm curious what city this was?  Info missing from the OP.

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"With regions like Bangkok and the Northeastern part of the country leading in visitor numbers"

 

[Upnotover]

21 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm curious what city this was?  Info missing from the OP.

 

The clue is in the first word....

1 hour ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK - The Maha Songkran World Water Festival

 

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

The clue is in the first word....

 

Good catch.  I don't think that word was there when I first posted.  But I've been wrong before.

[save the frogs]

ok, how many hours left before it's over?

 

 

[Ralf001]

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

ok, how many hours left before it's over?

 

 

 

About 12hrs to go in Pattaya, Suk road will gridlock today.

 

[Mason45]

36 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

And the moaners in another thread crying about how songrkan is bad for businesses !

 

Songkran is a great boost to the Thai economy and a decent reduction in road deaths.... Whats not to like.

The gains for the Government are total crap. Ask yourself the question, how many of these business's set up for Songkran pay tax. The answer is none.

[Ralf001]

Just now, Mason45 said:

, how many of these business's set up for Songkran pay tax. The answer is none.

Please post your source.

[impulse]

34 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

ok, how many hours left before it's over?

 

I'm sorry I missed it.  I flew in late on the 16th and I haven't seen a single water tosser here in Chinatown or around Asoke where I met an old friend for lunch.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I'm sorry I missed it.  I flew in late on the 16th and I haven't seen a single water tosser here in Chinatown or around Asoke where I met an old friend for lunch.

there was a small group of people partying at 8 am this morning, throwing buckets of water on each other's heads.

are they planning to party non-stop until 2 am ?? ha ha ... 

 

[mfd101]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

I haven't seen a single water tosser here in Chinatown or around Asoke

Plenty of tossers 365 days of the year. Just not water tossers.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

And the moaners in another thread crying about how songrkan is bad for businesses !

 

Songkran is a great boost to the Thai economy and a decent reduction in road deaths.... Whats not to like.

Good for some businesses, but it's not extra cash spent in many cases.

Next door went to visit family for 5 days, true they spent a lot of money, now back they admit they are skint until the end of the month...

They didn't spend extra cash, they just used it all up in one long weekend.

[JulesMad]

Cheapest week of the year: Not go out for anything, just staying home and enjoying the peace 😎🙏

[impulse]

4 hours ago, mfd101 said:

7 hours ago, impulse said:

I haven't seen a single water tosser here in Chinatown or around Asoke

Plenty of tossers 365 days of the year. Just not water tossers.

 

Gotta admit, I used the word "tosser" to see if that was one of the British words that's censored here like some other words that aren't in common use in the USA.  Most Americans wouldn't know that <deleted> is so dirty...

 

Edit:  See?  That one IS censored.

 

 

[KannikaP]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Deputy Spokesperson Anukul Phruksanusak proudly reported that 1,106,999 festival-goers attended, with nearly 100,000 being foreigners.

5h1t, if I had gone it would have been a round 1,107,000! 

Funny how they can quote the overall number exactly, and yet 'nearly' for the number of foreigners.

[kimamey]

7 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I'm sorry I missed it.  I flew in late on the 16th and I haven't seen a single water tosser here in Chinatown or around Asoke where I met an old friend for lunch.

I've only just flown in myself, and I'm still at Suvarnabhumi waiting for my flight up to Khon Kaen and then a taxi home, so I've definitely missed it as well.  Mind you I'm sure there are still plenty of tossers around,  you just need to add water. 

[Stargeezr]

I find the weather much too hot in March and especially April. I like the Loei Khratong Festival much better.

  Over the Christmas holidays though i found too many tourists around and prefer to holiday in between 

the festival times to be more enjoyable. When I was in my 30s I did experience a Songkran festival in 

Pattaya and it was wild and dangerous.

[pattayadgw]

A serious amount of cash and yet i keep reading about the loose handful of farang that play up and supposedly dont respect Thai culture, give it a break!!

[JoseThailand]

Total bullsh*t