More than 1 million revellers attend Maha Songkran Festival
More than one million revellers took part in the Maha Songkran World Water Festival, generating over one billion baht in tourism revenue, according to the Thai government
The Maha Songkran World Water Festival has drawn over one million festival-goers, generating more than one billion baht for the Thai tourism industry, according to Thai government Deputy Spokesperson Anukul Phruksanusak.
Anukul said on Friday that the five-day event, which ran from 11 to 15 April, saw a total of 1,106,999 participants—999,810 of whom were Thai, and 107,189 foreigners.
He said the festival also delivered significant economic benefits, directly generating 1.58 billion baht for the Thai tourism sector, adding the government could also collect 678 million baht in taxes from this amount.
The Maha Songkran World Water Festival is part of the government’s “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism & Sports Year 2025” campaign, aimed at positioning Thailand among the world’s top festival destinations. Major highlights of the event included the Maha Songkran Parade, 3D drone light shows, traditional performing arts, water-pouring rituals, and EDM performances.
“The success of this event not only reflects the country’s potential to host large-scale international events, but also demonstrates the use of Thai soft power to promote Thailand. It also enhances the grassroots economy and supports entrepreneurs in the tourism sector nationwide,” he said.
Citing responses from government questionnaires, the spokesperson said 97.49 per cent of attendees were satisfied with the event, with 84.91 per cent learning about the celebration through online channels.
Anukul added that 97.37 per cent of festival-goers expressed interest in travelling to other destinations within Thailand, confirming the Kingdom’s continued appeal on the global tourism radar.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), more than 5.27 million people visited Thailand during the Songkran holiday period, from 12 to 16 April, marking a 27 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
The Thai economy gained 22.27 billion baht in total during the period, TAT said.
Besides Bangkok, the Northeastern region recorded the highest number of travellers at 1.17 million, followed by the Central region, according to the tourism body.
