5 Million People Predicted to Travel Over Thailand’s 2023 Songkran Holiday

This week, shoppers are flocking to buy water guns, which are a must-have Songkran item for the water-throwing holiday in Thailand. This year’s Songkran Festival is predicted to attract 5.1 million visitors, producing over 23 billion baht in income – a 26.3% increase over last year’s estimates.

According to a survey conducted by Kasikorn Research Centre, 44.7% of Bangkok residents want to travel over the Thai New Year holiday period, either to their hometowns or to other destinations. More than 5 million people will travel this week, representing a 28.9% increase over the same period last year..

Airports of Thailand (AoT) expects 2.37 million passengers to pass through its airports this year, a 137.5% increase over last year’s data.

1.37 million individuals will go worldwide, while the remainder will travel within the country.

As a result, visitors should arrive at least 2-3 hours before their scheduled departure time to allow for pre-flight formalities and procedures, he said.

He also stated that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had recommended the public to have a Covid-19 booster shot before the holiday and to rigorously adhere to Covid-19 preventative measures to avoid infection.

“Gen Prayut expressed his hope that the public is prepared for the summer heat and urged motorists to follow traffic rules to avoid accidents,” he added.

Songkran celebrations will be held in 198 locations throughout Bangkok, with the main attractions being Khao San Road, Silom Road, Lan Khon Muang city plaza, and different commercial malls.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt dismissed a report Monday that the city administration had cancelled the Silom Road celebration, saying that the event is usually organised by the private sector and that whether the road will be closed to traffic is up to the traffic police.

“If there are a lot of people there celebrating Songkran, the police will close the road anyway,” he explained.

Songkran celebrations are typically held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on April 12th to 14th, although other sites, such as Khao San Road, celebrate from 5 p.m. to midnight on April 13th and 15th.

Pathum Wanaram Temple in Pathumwan district, Siam Centre, Icon Siam, and all Central shopping malls are all popular places for celebrations.

Pre-Songkran Crackdown

Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has revealed the results of its pre-Songkran crackdown, which resulted in 318 arrests.

Scammers and crooks are boosting up their activities during the long vacation, according to CCIB spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phatthanacharoen, because people are more inclined to relax their guard.

As a result, between March 29 and April 9, the CCIB took action against gambling, drugs, illegal immigration, and firearms violations, among other offences. The CCIBI cracked down on cybercrime such as bogus online shopping, computer-related scams, sex trafficking, online gambling, and other transnational crimes.

According to Pol Col Kissana, 17 locations around the country were raided this week.

Officers apprehended defendants who ran internet gambling sites and sold counterfeit Buddhist amulets and guns.

He also warned consumers to be wary of online threats such as call-center gangs, mobile-app scams, online shopping fraud, and other frauds involving money transfers, job ads, and cryptocurrency investments.

People travelling to their hometowns or tourist places during the Songkran Festival should be on the lookout for potential scammers on aircraft, trains, or buses, according to Pol Col Kissana on Sunday.

Drunk Driving Warning for Songkran

According to spokeswoman Sorawit Limparangsi, the Court of Justice is warning motorists not to drink before getting behind the wheel during the Songkran festival, since the number of accidents caused by drunk driving over the Thai New Year holidays has increased over the past two years.

Mr Sorawit issued the warning after disclosing the number of Land Traffic Act infractions during the “seven dangerous days” around the Songkran holiday in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, 13,103 persons were found guilty of traffic code offences, including 12,213 (or more than 93% of those prosecuted) convicted with drunk driving, 816 caught driving without a license, and 40 found to be driving under the influence of drugs. A total of 34 people were charged with careless driving that resulted in an accident.

Last year, 17,909 persons were charged with breaching traffic laws, a 28% increase over the previous year. In 2022, 15,609 persons were convicted of drunk driving, 1,274 of driving without a license, 980 of driving while impaired by drugs, and 47 of driving negligently.

On the same day, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had directed all necessary authorities to help travellers avoid accidents from April 13 to 17.

According to Mr Anucha, the Injury Prevention Division of the Disease Control Department reported 1,324 deaths and 110,152 injuries during the Songkran Festival from 2018 to 2022. According to the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Institute, 872 of the injured were permanently incapacitated.

According to the Bureau of Highway Safety, the deaths and injuries resulted in a loss of 18.3 billion baht, or 3.6 billion baht on average each year, according to Mr Anucha.

According to him, the majority of the accidents involved people aged 15 to 19.

The government’s efforts to avoid road accidents are in keeping with the 20-year National Strategy goal of reducing the number of injuries and deaths to 12 per 100,000 people by 2027.

“He extends his best wishes to officials and employees in the public and private sectors who are working over the holidays,” Mr Anucha added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation of the Interior Ministry built a coordination centre yesterday to help monitor and avoid road accidents throughout the holiday. Anupong Paojinda, the Interior Minister, serves as the centre’s chairman.