Thailand has launched a 3-day Songkran festival for the first time since 2019, hoping to boost tourism.

Crowds of revelers set off colorful water cannons as Thailand kicks off its first festive three-day Songkran festival since 2019 with a bang. Increase in tourism After the industry was hit by the coronavirus travel restrictions.

The New Year’s celebration’s signature water fight – a major attraction for tourists – was banned or discouraged from 2020 to curb the spread of the virus, and its full return has been widely promoted. In Bangkok alone, there are 40 separate public water sprinkler sites this year, including tourist attraction Khao San Road, where vendors hawk food, clothing and waterproofs in the scorching heat.

The festival is celebrated in Neighboring MyanmarCambodia and Laos fall during the hottest part of the year, when temperatures can drop above 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

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As many tourists and locals gather in the capital, millions of workers go home to see and honor family by cleaning Buddha statues for good luck, throwing water on each other and washing the hands and feet of elders. Ask for a blessing.

A man sprays water on a tourist to celebrate Songkran in Thailand’s Prachinburi province. (AP Photo/Wasson Wanichakorn)

Police are prepared for the “seven dangerous days” – with both Songkran travel days in mind – during which traffic-related injuries are on the rise in a country with the world’s 9th highest road traffic death rate, according to the World Health Organization’s Road Safety Report 2018. Many accidents involve drunk driving, with motorcyclists accounting for the majority of fatalities.

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The Tourism Authority of Thailand projects that this year’s Songkran festival will help generate more than $530 million in revenue and bring in more than 300,000 international travelers for the holiday week – up 525% from the same period in 2022, but only 58% from 2019’s numbers from before. The covid-19 pandemic He started.

Although the country will gradually ease travel restrictions before fully reopening in October, local entrepreneurs are concerned about the pace of recovery.

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In 2019, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million international visitors. This number will drop to 6.7 million in 2020 and less than 500,000 in 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.