After the government’s restrictions regarding water splashing last year, it is expected that celebrations for Songkran festival, to mark the Thai New Year, are likely to go ahead on Bangkok’s Khao San Road this year.
The first day of Songkran last year saw splashing on Khao San Road due to visitors being uninformed of the ban, which was later enforced by the police for the rest of the celebration.
According to Prasit Singdamrong, vice-president of the Khaosan Business Association, the festival will likely take place as normal this year. The group is working on preparations and choosing the best events to draw in more visitors.
“Our confidence level is above 50% for Songkran returning to normal this year. The issue is preparing safety measures, such as ensuring carrying capacity to avoid people getting crushed by crowds,” Mr. Prasit added.
He stated that well-organised crowd control at the Halloween festival in October of last year was a lesson for tourism industry professionals.
Nonetheless, Mr. Prasit said there are still serious issues about crimes and scams that prey on tourists, including taxis and tuk-tuks that overcharge foreign visitors.
As the number of tourists has progressively increased this year, more scams on the well-known walking street have been recorded to have occurred recently.
He said that as part of their work, the tourist police patrol the streets around-the-clock. According to Mr. Prasit, they already have a watchlist of employers and employees in the area with criminal histories.
In one recent episode that made the news, a bouncer at a popular nightclub punched a foreigner. Mr. Prasit revealed that the association advised the club in question to close their premises for three days.
More than half of the local businesses, mainly restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, are open for business as normal as Bangkok’s tourism industry recovers.
With many lacking any licence and the ability to get bank financing, the majority of small hotels and guesthouses have struggled to reopen, according to the Khaosan Business Association official.
Following the pandemic, he mentioned that tourists from many parts of the world, primarily Europe, Australia, India, South Korea, and Japan, had been welcomed on Khao San Road.
Cannabis-related enterprises are expanding in the area, with at least 50–60 certified sellers, according to Mr. Prasit. He said that operators must adhere to tight rules to avoid use by anyone under the age of 20.
