Thailand forecasts 30.4 billion baht revenue as tourists flock to Songkran

[BANGKOK] Thailand’s Songkran festival is experiencing strong tourist turnout and spending across the country, with the government expecting to exceed last year’s revenue.

In Bangkok and central areas, more than 558,000 visitors had been recorded at six venues as at Apr 12, with Siam Square’s Songkran event drawing the largest crowd of about 183,500 people, government spokesperson Lalida Persvivatana said on Wednesday (Apr 15).

More than 90 events were held in the capital alone.

The government expects Songkran, the Thai new year holiday famous for public water fights, to generate about 30.4 billion baht (S$1.2 billion) in tourism revenue, up 6 per cent from 2025, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said on Tuesday.

For the Apr 11 to 15 festival period, the tourism agency expects 500,000 international visitors, up 4 per cent from the year before, and to generate around 8.1 billion baht in revenue.

Thai nationals are expected to have booked six million trips during the multi-day celebration, up 7 per cent and contributing about 22.3 billion baht, it added.

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The southern province of Phuket is expecting about 149,690 visitors and 4.1 billion baht in revenue, said Lalida.

Eastern provinces such as Chonburi and Pattaya extended celebrations through Wan Lai events, which are high-energy water festivals, and will likely extend the momentum into late April.

Northern provinces led by Chiang Mai also had strong participation in traditional Pi Mai Muang festivities, she added. BLOOMBERG