by Liu Yang, Lin Shuting
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Spraying water with plastic water guns, getting drenched in water fights, and soaking up vibrant cultural performances, British tourist Vicky Richards thoroughly relished her first Songkran experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Falling annually from April 13 to 15, Thailand's traditional New Year Songkran is widely known as the Water Festival. Traditionally, people sprinkle water on one another as a token of blessing, a symbolic act to wash away past misfortunes and embrace a brand-new start.
"It's wonderful to see so many people of all ages gathering and playing together in the water," said Richards, adding that such a lively communal scene is something she has never witnessed before.
During the festive period, grand celebrations unfold from Bangkok to top tourist destinations, including Chiang Mai, Phuket and Ayutthaya, turning the entire Southeast Asian nation into a giant playground for locals and visitors, where revelers pour into the streets armed with water guns and buckets, dousing everyone they pass in a spirit of fun.
Beneath the festive cheer, however, Richards, a mother of two boys, feels a deep undercurrent of worry. She is set to return to Britain in June, but exorbitant international airfares have become a pressing headache for her travel plans.
Lingering tensions in the Middle East have roiled the international energy market, sending fuel prices soaring worldwide. The subsequent sharp rise in cross-border airfares has also quietly reshaped the composition of tourists flocking to Thailand for Songkran.
"Far fewer European and American tourists have visited this year compared with previous years," noted Preeyawan Tongkam, a ride-hailing driver based in Chiang Mai.
She explained that Western tourists used to favor full-day private chartered tours, which brought her stable and effortless income, but demand for such services has plummeted dramatically. Now she has no choice but to take sporadic ride-hailing orders to make ends meet.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that around 500,000 international tourists are expected to visit Thailand during this year's Songkran festival, marking a 4 percent year-on-year increase, while tourism revenue is projected to hit 8.1 billion baht (around 253 million dollars), up 2 percent from the previous year.
She further pointed out that without the ongoing energy crisis, the growth rates for tourist arrivals and tourism revenue could have been much higher, ranging from 5 to 7 percent.
For local Thai residents, surging consumer prices driven by the ongoing unrest in the Middle East have also dampened festive enthusiasm.
Although long queues at gas stations in Chiang Mai and other parts of the country have gradually eased, rising fuel costs still deter many locals from traveling during the holiday period.
Preeyawan stated that the rise in fuel prices has taken a heavy toll on her earnings.
"Gasoline prices have surged by 50 percent since late February, but we have to keep driving anyway. We're just trying to earn enough to cover our basic living expenses," she said.
Preliminary data reveal that hotel booking volumes across most parts of Thailand have fallen short of pre-festival expectations.
Local media reported that sales of printed shirts, a staple festive attire for Thais during Songkran, have slumped sharply this year. To salvage sales, some vendors have shifted their business from brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms.
A survey conducted by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) previously found that surging living costs have prompted 58.2 percent of respondents to skip water-splashing festivities, and 56.6 percent to abandon plans for inter-provincial travel during the holiday.
Citing the spike in diesel prices, the UTCC also revised down its forecast for this year's Songkran spending, cutting the estimate from 129.6 billion baht to as low as 120 billion baht. (1 baht equals about 0.03 U.S. dollars) ■
