Increased hotel bookings ahead of Phuket Vegetarian Festival

PHUKET, Oct 5 (TNA) – Room reservations in Phuket have increased to over 65 per cent ahead of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, set to start next week, said director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket office. The director, Kanokkrittika Kritwutthikorn said that the TAT Phuket office expected that about 14 billion baht will be spent by tourists during the nine-day festival from Oct 9-17. The annual event is the culture and tradition of Phuket residents, dating back to almost 250 years ago. The Ministry of Culture announced that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is Phuket’s heritage of local wisdom and culture. Jui Tui Tao Bo Keng จุ้ยตุ่ย shrine, the largest Chinese shrine in Phuket has cleaned the place and prepared for cooking vegetarian food for participants. Many religious devotees will strictly adhere to a strict vegetarian diet to ensure purification of the mind and body. The TAT and local organizations jointly organize the event, in which the spectacular displays of awe-inspiring religious rituals such as walking on fire, impaling of body parts in a carnival-like atmosphere are believed to offer veneration for their gods and ancestors. (TNA)