Thailand's lively preparations for Chinese New Year celebrations

BANGKOK, January 19 (TNA) - Liveliness now prevails throughout Thailand in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year 2012, as authorities at the country's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport expect about 2.3 million passengers during the upcoming Lunar New Year festival. The Hat Yai Municipality of Songkhla Province in the Thai South, for example, is being decorated to welcome the Hat Yai Chinese Festival 2012, set from January 21-25, while over 12,000 local hotel rooms have been fully reserved until January 31 and Somchart Pimthanapoonporn, President of the Association of Hotels in Hat Yai has foreseen at least 200 million baht to change hands in Songkhla during this year's Chinese New Year festival. In nearby Surat Thani Province, local roads are also being decorated with lamps to welcome the Chinese New Year festival, as Chinese-blooded Thai people in the Surat Thani Municipality are buying goods to be used in the Chinese New Year celebrations, propping up prices of vegetables and fruits by some 10 per cent. In Yala Province in the deep South, Governor Dejrat Simsiri ordered local security officers to ensure safety for tourists and locals during the Lunar New Year festival. Suvarnabhumi International Airport Spokesperson Wilaiwan Nadwilai, meanwhile, estimated that the airport should serve about 2.3 million international passengers from January 19-31, or about 176,000 people daily, a 23 per cent year-on-year increase, prompting several airlines to operate additional flights, comprising 306 international flights and 26 domestic ones, during the period with Chinese travelers expected to make the lion's share or 7 per cent of total foreign passengers at the airport, followed by Japanese and Indian travelers. Wilaiwan acknowledged that the Suvarnabhumi International Airport has stepped up security measures and deployed more police and security guards around the clock, as staffs are offering oranges to arriving travelers. Orange is traditionally-believed an auspicious fruit for the Chinese New Year festival. (TNA)