Khaosan Road is optimistic that Songkran will return next month, eve with fewer foreigners to splash out – water and cash.
Vendors there plan a traditional merit-making ceremony to kick things off on the morning of April 13, followed by wet revelry from 3pm to 8pm all three days through April 15, Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul of the vendors’ association said this morning.
Songkran was canceled nationwide last year due to the pandemic and the year prior for the king’s coronation.
The crowd will be limited to 5,000 people with mandatory temperature screening, and no hazardous items will be allowed into the area.
“I believe that people will walk around splashing water on Khaosan, Ram Buttri and Chakrabongse roads rather than settling down in a certain spot for a long time,” Sa-nga said.
Sa-nga said that they already have support from the Tourism Ministry and will submit their plan to district officials this week for approval.
The Khaosan Road area, usually packed year-round with travelers, has been a relative ghost town for over a year now. Sa-nga said that he doesn’t expect the event to generate the same business activity, 80% of which he estimates came from foreign visitors. He said it could be as low as THB20 million (US$650,000) per day, about 20% of pre-pandemic levels.
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