Songkran Festival Promotion Strategy to Provide Soft Power in Thai Tourism Marketing

Abstract

This article aims to: 1) examine the situation and context in which the Songkran festival in Thailand has been organized, 2) analyze the internal and external environments influencing the organization of the Songkran festival, 3) assess the potential of the Songkran festival as a cultural event, and 4) develop strategies to promote the Songkran festival as a soft power tool for Thailand’s tourism marketing. The research adopts a qualitative approach through a documentary analysis. The data was collected from various documents, and in-depth interviews with 30 purposively selected informants were conducted. The informants represented three sectors: event management companies, government agencies, and private organizations involved in organizing the Songkran festival. The data analysis was conducted using an interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings reveal that the Songkran festival, a unique and culturally significant tradition, holds a substantial potential as a soft power tool for Thailand. However, leveraging this potential requires integrating marketing mix components to create effective promotional strategies. These strategies must consider the behaviors and cultural preferences of tourists during the festival to align marketing objectives with their needs.