National –
A Thai government committee is considering a long weekend at the end of Buddhist Lent in early November to boost more domestic travel and stimulate the economy, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said today, September 15.
The Deputy Prime Minister told the Associated Press before the cabinet meeting that the idea of the additional holiday was first floated by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O’Cha last week.
It is believed to be a four-day holiday, including Saturday and Sunday and is likely to be added in November as October already has several public holidays, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.
Wissanu told reporters: “We will speak to the Tourism and Sports Ministry on whether these extra holidays should be added to the end of Buddhist Lent so people can go traveling. We also need to consult traffic police officers to work on traffic control during the proposed additional holiday.”
Many domestic tourists had been traveling and potentially spurring the national economy, reportedly injecting tens of millions of baht, during the previous Songkran substitute long holiday on September 4 to 7th.
Pattaya benefited greatly from the last holiday weekend and is expected to once again attract many domestic tourists.
