The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) on Phuket has predicted that more than 200,000 Thai and foreign tourists will visit the resort island during the 9-day vegetarian festival next week.

According to the office, about 60% of the hotel rooms on the island have already been booked and all hotels and resorts will be fully booked during the festival, which is expected to generate about 3.4 billion baht in revenue.

Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Phuket Tourist Association said, however, that the majority of the visitors during the festival will be Thai.

Shopkeepers and vendors are reporting brisk business, as residents who intend to refrain from eating meat during the festival, have started stocking up on vegetarian food. Small yellow flags, the symbol of the vegetarian festival, have popped up at most food stalls.

In the southern province of Krabi, the Pracha Santisuk Foundation in Muang district has cleaned up the shrine and kitchen, prepared raw ingredients and worship materials to accommodate hundreds of vegetarians who are to spend three days at the foundation as they take part in the festival.

A similar event will also be held at other shrines in the province, as a large number of people are expected after two years of cancellations of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.