Yaowarat Road dazzled in gold and red on Sunday as festive decorations were switched on to herald the busiest two weeks in the kingdom’s tourism calendar, with 1.35 million foreign arrivals expected between January 24 and February 2.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool and Wu Zhiwu, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy, presided over Sunday’s lighting-up ceremony at the Odeon Circle, which also marked 50 years of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations.
The light show will illuminate Yaowarat Road from 6pm to midnight until February 9.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over Chinese New Year celebrations in Yaowarat Road on January 29.
Lunar New Year celebrations will expand to CentralWorld shopping mall in Pathumwan district from January 28-February 2, with an estimated 287,000 Chinese tourists expected to visit Thailand during the festival.
The CentralWorld event will feature giant statues of Guanyin, dragons and other Chinese deities, while replica Chinese villages will add to the cultural vibe.
Visitors can also try their hand at Chinese calligraphy and Chinese paper cutting, or the Thai arts of Khon mask painting, and colouring Benjarong ceramics.
Visitors join prayers for prosperity and good health in the Year of the Snake during a Lunar New Year’s Eve ceremony at CentralWorld on January 28.
The TAT expects the Chinese New Year festival itself to generate up to 40.66 billion baht in tourism revenue – 10% higher than last year. Up to 1.35 million foreign travellers are expected to visit Thailand for Lunar New Year, up 6% from last year, including 287,000 mainland Chinese visitors, up 7%. Large numbers of travellers from Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia are also expected to spend Chinese New Year in Thailand.