Number of foreign tourists during Songkran festival marks 20.7% increase

BANGKOK, 19 April 2016 (NNT) - Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Watthanawarangkun said the number of foreign visitors to Thailand during Songkran festival from April 13 until April 17 was over 440,000, accounting for a 20.7 percent increase from last year.

A large number of tourists, Thai and foreign, were found to have spent their holiday in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen and Bangkok. Most traveled in a short distance in the provinces.

Other favorite tourist destinations during Songkran festival included Phuket and Krabi on the shores of the Andaman Sea and Koh Samui island in the Gulf of Thailand.


-- NNT 2016-04-19

But where were they.

I know you can fit 20.7% more chinese in an elevator compared to us farangs. If you can put up with the noise.

Not in Chiang Mai apparently.

The figures are correct as I'm sure the minister personally counted every arrival so she could be absolutely sure of accuracy, she's not a lady to make exaggerated claims.

I say this: kratom should be kept away from government agencies.

Now not being cynical about these figures but 442 people died this year over Songkran...last year there was 365 people reported dead. 20.7% increase in tourists this year amazingly just about exactly the difference in the figures..!! So there is the answer to the increase in deaths! It's all down to the additional visitors!! Of course this is just a coincidence and nothing should be seen in this apparent similarly percentages . Or should it .????

I can see everyone reaching for there calculators now to check the maths lol

Edited April 19, 201610 yr by Nigeone

I think .7% of many polls and figures in government statements is amazing in its frequency.

I have like many noticed that it seems to spring up a bit.

It's great that the tourism industry is booming and the mars mission ahead of time too.

Thailand drew Australia and Japan In the World Cup games to qualify.

I think 20.7% of Thais might be worried more about that than the 20.7% increase in road deaths , or 20.7% rise in tourists .

Such accurate figures surely are a sign of their greatness

The spin doctors will start blaming the Chinese drivers for the increase in deaths over Songkran....

20.7% increase in the number of idiots who come to this third world country to get WET!

Not in Chiang Mai apparently.

It was one of the least crowded Songkrans I've seen in Chiang Mai since I moved here.

From what I saw in CM 50% decrease from last year . I guess they all stayed in their . I felt bad for the sellers they had stocked up , expecting crowds like last year . I for one did not see anything close .

OIC

She sure is a persistent woman.

COMPLETE AND UTTER RUBBISH my 10th Songkran and I have never seen it so quiet I live in Hang Dong and got to town without even getting wet on the first 2 days roads were empty and the crowds we sporadic I have never every seen it so quiet.

TAT’s Deputy Director Anuphab pointed out in April 2015 that 90% of the accommodations were booked up during the Songkran festival – despite a 7% drop in domestic tourists.

Now this year there is a 20.7% increase from last year.

Accommodations must have been overbooked!

Not in Chiang Mai apparently.

It was one of the least crowded Songkrans I've seen in Chiang Mai since I moved here.

Yes, but relatively a lot of tourists around. I really noticed it during the festival. Also, with more places to go now in Chiang Mai, that means less density at the 'old' venues like in front of Central Kad Suan Kaew or even the moat. (And there were some questions about the moat water supply and water clarity.)

It's a little funny how tourist arrival figures always draw such swift ridicule based on absolutely nothing but one's own preconceptions. The government knows *exactly* how many tourists arrive; they all fill in the arrival/departure card which goes into the immigration database.

This is one of the most reliable statistics, more so than just about anything else. For example if you asked the government how many people (Thais and foreigners) there are in total in any city then they can't tell you an exact number. Because when someone moves to Chiang Mai from some other place then there's no record of that. But tourist arrivals are an easy one.

They even know reasonably well where tourists go after landing in BKK: hotels provide guest's passport numbers and Arrival/Departure card numbers daily.

And now for the remaining alu-mad-hatters who just don't believe the government for any reason: please just check Flightradar24.com or FlightStats.com or any other aviation site of your choice. Those planes you see? They have people in them. And there are a LOT more flights than last year, especially also directly into Chiang Mai, etc.

Sweet Jesus it's embarrassing sometimes on this forum.

Edited April 19, 201610 yr by WinnieTheKhwai

"A large number of tourists, Thai and foreign, were found to have spent their holiday in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen and Bangkok. Most traveled in a short distance in the provinces.

Other favorite tourist destinations during Songkran festival included Phuket and Krabi on the shores of the Andaman Sea and Koh Samui island in the Gulf of Thailand."

So they basically went EVERYWHERE...

"A large number of tourists, Thai and foreign, were found to have spent their holiday in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen and Bangkok. Most traveled in a short distance in the provinces.

Other favorite tourist destinations during Songkran festival included Phuket and Krabi on the shores of the Andaman Sea and Koh Samui island in the Gulf of Thailand."

So they basically went EVERYWHERE...

Not everywhere. Bueng Kan Province for example didn't get too many it seems.

I think the north was quite busy and more than last year.

Maybe some dispersion of crowds due to the increase of venues...

But what they forgot to mention is the 50% drop after Songkhran compared to last year...

Girlfriend who is a hotel receptionist confirms numbers down.

Observers including brother in Chiang Mai .

Down alot.

I can come to no other conclusion that the figures ( unless your a magic bean buyer type) can be believed.

Even including the Chinese.

It's as trustworthy and as creditable as their 99% polls.

Serious intelligent people don't digest these figures

That would be the reason why hotel rates are about 20% below their historical average and why most restaurants appear to be desperate for custom?

Not in Chiang Mai apparently.

It was one of the least crowded Songkrans I've seen in Chiang Mai since I moved here.

Yes, but relatively a lot of tourists around. I really noticed it during the festival. Also, with more places to go now in Chiang Mai, that means less density at the 'old' venues like in front of Central Kad Suan Kaew or even the moat. (And there were some questions about the moat water supply and water clarity.)

It's a little funny how tourist arrival figures always draw such swift ridicule based on absolutely nothing but one's own preconceptions. The government knows *exactly* how many tourists arrive; they all fill in the arrival/departure card which goes into the immigration database.

This is one of the most reliable statistics, more so than just about anything else. For example if you asked the government how many people (Thais and foreigners) there are in total in any city then they can't tell you an exact number. Because when someone moves to Chiang Mai from some other place then there's no record of that. But tourist arrivals are an easy one.

They even know reasonably well where tourists go after landing in BKK: hotels provide guest's passport numbers and Arrival/Departure card numbers daily.

And now for the remaining alu-mad-hatters who just don't believe the government for any reason: please just check Flightradar24.com or FlightStats.com or any other aviation site of your choice. Those planes you see? They have people in them. And there are a LOT more flights than last year, especially also directly into Chiang Mai, etc.

Sweet Jesus it's embarrassing sometimes on this forum.

The real question though is how much those arrivals are spending, are they keeping the industry ticking over, hotels doing well, restaurants profitable, employment full...or is this a different kind of tourism, to which the industry has not yet adapted ?

Last week they reported that hotel bookings were down on previous years, did they all sleep on the wall?

We all know, where these numbers come from: it starts with an a and ends with a double s!

Not in Chiang Mai apparently.

It was one of the least crowded Songkrans I've seen in Chiang Mai since I moved here.

Same in Koh Samui

Off course it was

We never doubts the great TAT when it come to this kind of reporting....

Would be interesting to see how they managed to get to the .7% figure.

well done a quick too, since yesterday was the first day back at work after Songkran.

My wife's nephew, a hotel manager in Puke-it, complained about a giant decrease in revenue for his hotel group. He said that Puke-it was loaded with Chinese.

My wife's nephew, a hotel manager in Puke-it, complained about a giant decrease in revenue for his hotel group. He said that Puke-it was loaded with Chinese.

A friend of mine went to Phuket over songkran and said the same thing, bus load after bus load of Chinese arriving.

My wife's nephew, a hotel manager in Puke-it, complained about a giant decrease in revenue for his hotel group. He said that Puke-it was loaded with Chinese.

A friend of mine went to Phuket over songkran and said the same thing, bus load after bus load of Chinese arriving.

I thought that the Chinese were the quality tourists that the govt. wanted.. taking over the slack from the declining Farang tourist arrivals...

I have basically been hunkered down in my condo complex the past nine days to escape

the mayhem. I just went out to watch the F1 qualifying and race, (and yes I was sprayed down)

In short I have spent far less than I normally would . Do I count.