During the Songkran Festival in Thailand, the income exceeded expectations, and the number of Chinese tourists increased by 89.16% year-on-year.

On April 22, Suthawan, the Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, announced the tourism revenue data during the Songkran Festival. According to the statistics of the Economic Tourism and Sports Bureau, the total revenue from the 2024 Songkran celebration activities from April 1 to 21 reached as high as 140.335 billion baht, which exceeded the previously predicted 132 billion baht.

During the 21-day festival period, the number of foreign tourists reached 1.926443 million person-times, bringing in 90.208 billion baht (approximately RMB 18 billion) in revenue; while local Thai tourists reached 13.897988 million person-times, contributing 50.127 billion baht in revenue. It is worth mentioning that the number of foreign tourists during the Songkran Festival increased by 37.54% compared to the same period last year, which is mainly due to the visa-free policies introduced by the Thai government, the convenience measures of canceling the filling of the TM.6 entry-exit card, and the grand celebration activities held everywhere.

In terms of the source of tourists, mainland Chinese tourists topped the list with 395,830 person-times, increasing by 89.16% year-on-year, showing the high enthusiasm of Chinese tourists for the Songkran Festival in Thailand. The number of tourists from countries such as Malaysia, India, Russia, and South Korea has also increased, and these tourists from both close and distant markets have jointly contributed to the tourism revenue during the Songkran Festival in Thailand.

From the perspective of the consumption structure, the expenses for accommodation, catering, purchasing goods, and souvenirs are the main expenditure items during the Songkran Festival, respectively occupying a considerable proportion of the total revenue. In addition, transportation fees, entertainment fees, and tourism service fees are also important sources of revenue.

Minister Suthawan specifically mentioned that the grand holding of the 2024 World Songkran Festival at the Royal Field in Bangkok not only attracted a large number of tourists to participate, but also marked that the Thai Songkran Festival has been officially listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, further enhancing its international influence. This event attracted 784,883 domestic and foreign tourists, who were highly satisfied with the event and looked forward to having more similar cultural feasts in the future. It is estimated that only this event has brought nearly 2.9 billion baht in economic revenue to Thailand, far exceeding the expected budget expenditure.