Prasit Sirisrisakulchai, chairman of the Lampang Chamber of Commerce, said the Songkran celebration in the northern province would be rather quiet this year, as most revellers would be the locals who seldom travel far due to high oil prices.
Meanwhile, the number of visitors should drop as hotel booking has declined by 30 per cent from last year.
"Foreign visitors in particular have disappeared, causing huge damage to the hotel business. They are concerned about the political condition. Usually, foreign visitors must have been seen here ahead of the celebration," he said.
He noted that the local business started to feel the pinch of the political chaos, and the situation would worsen if the situation aggravates.
