TAT worries about Songkran copy
March 20, 2014 by Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
Filed under News, Thailand
BANGKOK, 20 March 2014: A Singapore company’s decision to host its own version of a “Songkran” festival in the city-state, next month, has prompted the Tourism Authority of Thailand to consult with other state agencies to see if legal action can be taken to protect Thailand’s cultural heritage.
The Singapore “Celebrate Songkran 2014” is being organised by a private company and not the state’s tourism board. The event will be held at the Padang, an open field opposite Singapore’s City Hall 12 to 13 April. Water splashing will be limited to the park area only.
TAT deputy governor for Tourism Products, Vilaiwan Twichasri, said she would hold talks with officials from the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Culture to study intellectual property provisions.
If the law allows, TAT believes it could take legal steps to prevent other ASEAN nations from conducting and organising traditional cultural activities based on Thai arts and culture, such as Songkran and Loy Krathong festival.
However, Songkran is not exclusively a Thai cultural asset. It is a national festival of Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and also celebrated by Dai people in Yunnan in China, Sri Lanka and India.
“The Singapore event will not impact on tourism during this year’s Songkran holiday. But it may have a detrimental long-term impact if it were held every year in a neighbouring country, since it could influence where international tourists decide to visit,” the TAT official said.
Songkran is celebrated in Thailand from 13 to 15 April and TAT will spend Bt20 million to support activities in 13 provinces 5 to 20 April.
The 13 provinces included in its promotion are: Bangkok; Chiang Mai; Sukhothai; Chon Buri; Suphan Buri; Ayutthaya; Nakhon Phanom; Khon Kaen; Nong Khai; Hat Yai; Nakhon Si Thammarat; Phuket; and Samut Prakan.
Four of them – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Chon Buri – are expected to welcome more than 200,000 people each.
TAT estimates tourism spending will grow by 14.63% to Bt4.7 billion compared with Bt4.1 billion during the same festival days last year.
Around 4.4 million tourists will join the festival up 10% from 4 million, but most of them will be domestic travellers with 400,000 overseas visitors.
The smallness of TAT, it seems. In Japan, there are hundreds of hula dance competition and festivals yet Hawaii does not cry over such nonsense as it knows that what they have in Hawaii is authenticity in the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival and Kamehameha Hula Competition, etc. I’m sure Singapore is not stealing any thunder from Thailand, if that is what it is worried about. Very petty-mindedness as PHglobal had put it.
Songkran is not Thai. It is from India.
Not telling their counterparts they saw the Malaysian plane on radar then the ghastly foreign minister, two weeks later, issuing a note of sympathy and now these cretins worrying about their stupid water fight rights… Thai officials should just shut up for a while so they don’t destroy what is left of the country’s febrile reputation. No doubt the Songkran celebration planned for Singapore will not involve childish water fights, drunk pick-up drivers careering through the streets, whores targetting their customers etc. and return to the auspicious roots of the festival itself. The TAT is so bankrupt of ideas, but no doubt focussing on this nonsense takes the heat off the missing millions in the made-up arrivals figures.
There are several water festivals in the world. How on earth can somebody in these positions in TAT make reference to intellectual property for a water festival. They should be replaced urgently.
Besieged with political turmoil, resulting in near empty Bangkok hotels, and country-wide downturn in international tourism … surely the TAT has better rethinks to do that resort to this petty-mindedness?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and to find out how often things are copied illegally in Thailand walk through any night market.
This is a real case of the pot calling the kettle black, and a waste of Thai taxpayers money!
I do not see any threat to lovely Thailand of such event held here. Despite having such event in Singapore, I personally do not think I will have same experience as in Thailand, similarly to Loy Krathong.
There are many Kon Thais in Singapore and this is more of getting them together to enjoy than a tourist event, in my opinion.