Thailand's Songkran Festival consumption is expected to hit a 9-year low, but floral shirts are hot before the festival

The Water Splashing Festival is the most solemn and important festival for Thai people , just like the Chinese Spring Festival, which is lively and festive. The Thai Water Splashing Festival represents the elimination of all evil, misfortune and sin, and the beginning of a new year with all beauty and purity.

Recently, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce released its 2021 Thailand New Year consumption forecast .

It was previously reported that during the Thai New Year Songkran Festival from April 13 to 15, the Thai government banned any gathering celebrations during the Festival in consideration of the need to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic .

It is estimated that the scale of consumption in Thailand during the New Year period in 2021 will be around 112 billion baht (about 23.529 billion yuan), a decrease of 16.6% compared with the same period in 2020, the lowest in nine years.

In previous years, Songkran Festival was Thailand's golden holiday to attract foreign tourists and promote consumption . However, this year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the reduction in collective celebrations may cause consumer demand to shift online.

Although holiday shopping has slowed down, sales of various floral shirts are on the rise in Thailand ahead of Songkran.

However, the latest news is that the Thai government has given the green light for the upcoming Songkran celebrations, and the floral shirts that are popular during Songkran are selling like hot cakes as the holiday approaches.

Vendors from the provinces are arriving at Bangkok's Bobae Market, a large clothing wholesale centre, where colourful floral shirts can be bought for retail.

Wholesale prices for floral shirts start at 50 baht per piece, while Bobae retails for at least 100 baht.

Printed T-shirts are also popular this year because they are cheap and perfect for hot weather.

Arkhom Saisud, owner of Pitta Bobae Wholesale Store, said he started selling floral shirts two weeks ago and they were like hot cakes especially this week as the government said it would allow Songkran events .

He said sales were up 80 per cent compared with last year's cancelled Songkran festival , with few customers buying floral shirts. He expects his existing stock to be sold out by early next month as many suppliers from other provinces are buying and placing orders.

Different countries or regions around the world have different festivals. When the festivals come, there are always many unexpected festival items that are popular with consumers, and Thai floral shirts are currently one of them.

Cross-border e-commerce market

Thailand