National—
On January 27th, 2024, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, stated to the public that the progress on Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024 as a national soft power was currently waiting for budget approval.
The 2024 Maha (Great) Songkran World Water Festival’s budget was under scrutiny and approval from the Thai Budget Bureau. The festival would surely happen, and in February, the Thai government would officially publicize it on national and international scales, asserted Paetongtarn.
Dr. Suraphong Suebwonglee, the Director and Secretary of the Soft Power Committee, publicly stated that the committee planned the Songkran theme for 2024 and presented it to the Soft Power Committee.
However, further details about the festival were not revealed regarding dates and activities, noted TPN.
“The pending budget was estimated at 270 million baht and the festivals would be held nationwide. It was anticipated that it would generate income to locals of more than 35 billion baht after global publicization. In the past 20 days, tourism in Thailand surged exponentially and in April would further grow at a significant rate,” concluded Dr. Suraphong.
