Trat province, including the popular resort island Koh Chang, is expecting high occupancy rates at its hotels and other tourist accommodations during the upcoming Water Festival.
Songkran, the Thai New Year, runs from April 12-16 this year.
Thaweesak Wongwilat, deputy chair of the Trat Tourism Association, said the eastern province has seen a boost in domestic and foreign visitors since December as it continues to grow in popularity as a tourist destination.
Foreigners are, on average, staying longer than they did last year, he noted, with around 40% now spending seven to 14 days in the province.
On Koh Chang, which lies 30 minutes off the Trat coast, over 80% of hotel rooms have been booked ahead of Songkran, he said.
In addition to its natural beauty, the island's attractions include the Wan Lai festival, a key part of the Songkran celebrations.
Koh Chang has recently been featured in a tourism campaign by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The agency has introduced the island to more tour operators and influencers in Europe, and a recent visit by travellers from Oman has also buoyed its prospects and proven quite lucrative, Mr Thaweesak said.
Korakot Opas, director of the TAT's Trat Office, said tourist numbers have climbed steadily in the first quarter and will keep growing through Songkran.
He estimated the average occupancy rate during the water festival will be 82% spread over 11,000 rooms in the province, with tourists staying an average of 1.98 nights and spending about 7,107 baht per trip.
This is expected to generate up to 200 million baht for the province over the festival.
