Phuket Lantern Festival welcomes int'l visitors Feb 2-22

PHUKET, THAILAND, February 4 (TNA) - The southern Thai resort province of Phuket's Lantern Festival 2016, set during February 2-22, welcomes international visitors to enjoy the beauty of thousands of illuminating lanterns on streets throughout the globally-renowned island province and to share their experiences online. Inaugurated by Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, the Lantern Festival, organised for the first time in the Andaman resort island, awaits international visitors to witness the beauty of thousands of the decorated lanterns from the Phuket International Airport in Thalang area to Muang and Ka Tu areas and their neighbourhoods. The governor said apart from promoting the provincial tourism, the 20-day Lantern Festival is also aimed to conserve the ancient tradition of local Thais of the Chinese origin for decorating illuminant lanterns for their auspice during the annual Chinese New Year celebration. Traditionally, the governor noted, local Thais of the Chinese origin in Phuket had usually cleaned their houses and decorated them with illuminant lanterns during the Chinese New Year, but the tradition was turned to be a festival across Phuket this year and will probably be, from now on, carried on annually. According to the governor, the new festival coincides with the annual Wat Chalong Fair, Phuket Old Town Festival and Phuket Food Festival. Meanwhile, Colonel Nalik-atipak Saengsanit, Director of Thailand's Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), announced that DASTA will seek the Cabinet's approval of promoting Hua Hin-Cha-am and its neighbourhoods in the Upper Thai South and the Ancient City of Chiang Saen and its neighbourhoods in the Upper Thai North to be two additional designated sustainable tourism zones in the country within this year under its 2016 strategies on stimulating and promoting the domestic tourism and earning the country more tourism-related revenues. The DASTA chief revealed that his agency also plans to propose 10 more potential Thai tourist attractions to be designated sustainable tourism zones next year. Currently, there are six designated sustainable tourism zones in Thailand, including Chang Islands, Pattaya City, Sukhothai-Sri Satchanalai-Kampangphet Historic Park, Nan Ancient City, Loei's speical tourism zone and U-thong Ancient City in Bangkok's adjacent Suphan Buri Province. (TNA)