Phuket and Songkhla are seeing more visitors and expect tourism revenue to exceed 4.1 billion baht during their vegetarian festivals this week, while Phuket is pushing the event as a flagship cultural celebration.
The vegetarian festival from Oct 20-29 is expected to generate 382,710 domestic trips, a 28% increase year-on-year, in the two southern provinces, said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Revenue from those trips is forecast to rose by 31% to 4.1 billion baht, up 31% year-on-year.
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is forecast to earn 2.3 billion baht from 198,239 domestic trips, with hotels registering an 81% occupancy rate on average.
The Songkhla event is expected to earn 1.76 billion baht from 184,471 trips, with a 75% occupancy rate.
In terms of foreign arrivals, 82% of the visitors to Phuket and Songkhla for the celebrations of Thai-Chinese culture are estimated to be from short-haul markets, led by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, said Ms Thapanee.
Rangsiman Kingkaew, president of the Tourism Council of Phuket, said this year is the 200th anniversary of the Kathu Shrine, which is the origin of the celebration in Phuket.
Even though most attendees are locals, foreign tourists are increasingly interested in joining the celebration, he said.
Malaysian and Singaporean tourists typically visit the festival in Phuket annually because of their Chinese-rooted culture.
In addition, more European tourists already staying in Phuket during the high season want to explore the unique event, said Mr Rangsiman.
‘The vegetarian festival is considered one of our flagship events to promote the festival economy in Phuket,’ he said.
Other notable festivals held in Phuket include the Phuket Peranakan Festival, the electronic dance music event EDC Thailand, the Phuket Lobster Festival, and the Laguna Phuket Marathon.
Songchai Mungprasitthichai, president of the Songkhla Tourism Promotion Association, said around 10,000 Malaysian tourists were expected to visit Hat Yai this weekend, when there will be a special parade to celebrate the festival.
However, the Hat Yai celebration is not as famous now as in the past, he said.
Mr Songchai said Phuket has emerged as a preferred destination for Malaysian tourists during the festival, with more flights from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Regulations that forbid Malaysian tour buses from commuting out of Songkhla to other provinces also hamper the tourism market, he said.
Mr Songchai urged the government to extend the operating hours of border checkpoints to 24 hours a day.