The final decision taken collectively with the agency's local partners and businesses, will be announced on Saturday. To defer the Thai New Year festivities no approval of the cabinet is needed, so the matter will be decided quickly.
If the Tourism Ministry gets a positive feedback from the private sector on this initiative, than it is likely that Songkran related celebrations, including water splashing activities, will be moved from April 13-15 to early July, e.g. 4th–7th.
Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is one of the major events of the Thai festive calendar. Three-day celebrations traditionally draw huge crowds of revellers in major cities and locations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Ayutthaya and Pattaya.
This year, both Pattaya and Phuket have already announced they will cancel all Songkran celebrations accept for the religious rites. Other destinations are most likely to follow the suit.
Besides fears over coronavirus, it is the lack of water due to the severe drought that prompts the authorities to move the dates for splashing water to a wetter season.
Do you think it is a good idea to postpone Songkran water splashing? Is it better to leave everything as usual or to cancel completely?
Songkran Water Splashing May Be Moved to July
News in Asia
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is mulling the idea of moving all major celebrations except for religious ones related to the Thai New Year, or Songkran, from April to July in a bid to prevent spreading of the coronavirus.