North still the tops for Songkran
The North was the most popular destination for tourists during the Songkran festival, followed by the South.
Meanwhile, Bangkok's Khao San Road was crowded with 300,000 people for the three-day Thai New Year. They were expected to have spent up to Bt30 million.The Tourism Authority of Thailand's planning centre reported that the North, especially Chiang Mai, remained in the top spot this year. Hotels enjoyed occupancy rates of 95-100 per cent. Thais made up 75-80 per cent of all tourists. Airlines were also busy during the festival, especially last Friday, with freight and passenger rates as high as 95-100 per cent. Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son were almost as busy as Chiang Mai, with hotel occupancy rates of 85-90 per cent. Off the Eastern Seaboard, Koh Chang recorded hotel bookings of 98 per cent. About 95 per cent of rooms on Koh Kood were reserved. Likewise, hotels on Koh Mak were nearly fully booked, with a reservation rate of 98 per cent. Hotels in Pattaya enjoyed an occupancy rate of 85-90 per cent, while hotel reservations in mainland Trat reached 90 per cent. Mainland Trat was expecting more than 78,000 tourists. In Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces, especially Cha-am and Hua Hin districts, hotels, bungalows and guest-houses were mostly fully booked. Further south, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Ranong and Phuket provinces had few vacant rooms over Songkran. Hotel occupancy in Phang Nga and Krabi provinces jumped to 90-100 per cent during the festival, with more foreign tourists than last year. Hat Yai and Songkhla town were popular with Malaysians. In the Northeast, tourists began travelling on April 6 to areas like Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani and Khon Kaen. Hotels had occupancy rates of 60-70 per cent. - The Nation
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