Thailand-
The Thai Minister of Culture, Itthipol Khunplume, said this afternoon in Bangkok that the Ministry of Culture supports traditional and cultural based activities for Songkran this year, falling next month in April.
Songkran is the biggest holiday of the year for Thai’s, also celebrated as the Thai New Year and the Water festival.
Itthipol added that individual events, like Khaosan Road’s Celebration or Pattaya’s Annual Celebration, would need to be decided based on organizers and that crowd control strategies and Covid-19 precautions must take place.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan O’Cha said the decision on Songkran had been a “very difficult one” and that the CCSA and the Thai Government would be discussing further guidelines for event organizers in the coming week.
Thailand’s overall Covid-19 situation has been improving daily since a second round of infections broke out in December starting from Samut Sakhon.
Songkran was canceled last year, costing the economy billions based on research done by the Bank of Thailand. By allowing the event this year, albeit with precautions, it is estimated to help domestic tourism and the economy.
Ramayana water park in Pattaya has previously announced Songkran related events last week, being the first venue to announce upcoming promotions.
The event runs from April 13th to April 15th nationally, although some areas, like Pattaya, may celebrate the event on different days to drive domestic tourism. Details on restrictions and rules are likely to come in the near future, along with any announcements about the event in Pattaya.
