Thailand to go big on Songkran festival week to boost tourism; major event returns after three-year hiatus due to Covid-19

According to Thai government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, the country will host a massive Songkran festival in April to further boost the country's recovering tourism sector.

Due to the faster-than-expected recovery in the tourism market, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expects a huge boost from this year's festival, which will be held in five different parts of the nation after a three-year hiatus caused by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

To boost the business, the tourism agency has also begun the fifth phase of its "Rao Tiew Duay Kan" (We Travel Together) program.

The spokesperson said that rules have been established by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to promote tourism, and he expressed his belief that the government's stimulus measures for the industry will assist Thailand's tourism to grow.

The Thai New Year holiday is known as Songkran. Every year on April 13, however, the holiday lasts through April 15.

Up until 1888, April 13 was the official New Year in Thailand. Then it was changed to April 1. In 1940, this day was changed to January 1.

The event is well-known for both its water battles in public and its ritual cleansings that herald the end of one year and the start of a new one.