Songkran Festival to bring Bt500m into Phuket

BANGKOK, April 9 (TNA) - About 500 million baht or over 16 million US dollars is expected to change hands in Thailand's southern resort Phuket province during the upcoming traditional Thai New Year or Songkran Festival from April 13-15. Bang-ornrat Shinaprayoon, Director of the state-run Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Phuket Office, assessed that local tourism in Phuket during Songkran 2012 will likely remain active as previous years. Bang-ornrat told reporters that recent car bombing attacks in Yala province and Hat Yai in Songkhla province in the Thai far South should not affect the Phuket tourism, thanks to several activities to be continually organized across the Phuket Island during and after the Songkran festivity, including the “Phuket Bike Week”, set from April 20-22, which will be joined by thousands of international big bike riders. Bang-ornrat said that her office has also asked TAT overseas offices to help promote tourism in Phuket and to boost foreign tourists’ confidence in local security, in the wake of the March 31 car bombing attacks in the two sounthern border areas. According to the senior TAT official, there have been no cancellations of hotel reservations in Phuket during the Songkran Festival, when, apart from Thai tourists, those from Australia, South Korea, China and other European countries are also expected to visit the globally-acclaimed Thai resort island. (TNA)