Bangkok’s Chinatown gears up for Lunar New Year celebrations
This year’s Lunar New Year festivities in Bangkok’s Chinatown, Yaowarat Road, will officially kick off on February 10 under the auspices of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Tavida Kamolvej, confirmed her Royal Highness’s arrival at the Odeon Circle’s gate at 5pm to formally inaugurate the two-day celebrations.
The announcement was made at a press conference following a safety-focused discussion held by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and various other agencies. The Lunar New Year celebrations, a significant annual event in Bangkok’s Chinatown, will feature a range of activities. These include lion dance performances, an exhibition emphasising Thai-Chinese ties, and Chinese lantern decoration, shared Tavida.
She added that to guarantee public safety throughout the event, the BMA and other organisations will deploy security officers at specific locations. Furthermore, four of the city’s 78 Chinese shrines and several department stores, specifically CentralWorld, Siam Paragon, and Iconsiam, will coordinate their own Chinese New Year events alongside Yaowarat’s festivities on February 9-10.
Tavida also highlighted the BMA’s appeal to event attendees to avoid activities that could exacerbate air pollution levels, excellent particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). Such activities include the burning of incense sticks, candles, or paper, reported Bangkok Post.
The significance of the Chinese community to Thailand, particularly in the context of tourism, was also underscored. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists constituted the most substantial visitor group in the country, considered crucial to the revival of the tourism industry.
In a recent post, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin projected a minimum growth of 137% in the number of Chinese tourists this Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year celebrations, therefore, present a significant opportunity to boost the tourism sector while reinforcing the cultural ties between Thailand and China.
In related news, experts predict that Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year will not reach pre-pandemic levels due to economic uncertainty. Read more about Thai tourism during the Lunar New Year.
