Vegetarian Festival Spending Rises Despite Low Participation
Spending on Thailand’s vegetarian festival reached 46.9 billion baht this year, up 2.2 percent and the highest in six years, with the average spend per person at 5,500 baht. Yet only 32 percent of people plan to observe the diet, the lowest participation in 11 years, citing a weak economy and higher food prices. Most vegetarians will buy food at fresh markets, and few intend to travel to sacred sites for merit‑making.
The vegetarian festival this year is bustling, with projected spending of 46.913 billion baht, up 2.2 percent, averaging 5,500 baht per person—the highest since surveys began 18 years ago. However, most people are not participating due to the poor economy. Thananwat Phalwichai, rector and chairman of the advisory board at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Economic and Business Forecasting Center, disclosed the survey results on public behavior and spending during this year’s vegetarian festival. He said the atmosphere is lively, with expected spending of 46.913 billion baht, up 2.2 percent—the highest in six years—while the average spend per person stands at 5,500 baht, the highest recorded since the survey started. Although spending on vegetarian food has increased, the majority said they are not joining the festival because of the weak economy, while those who do participate say they do so to make merit. Meanwhile, Umagamon Sunthonsurat, director of the same forecasting center, revealed that 68 percent of respondents said they will not take part in the festival this year, and 32 percent intend to observe the vegetarian diet. The participation rate is the lowest in 11 years, attributed to economic concerns and higher prices for vegetarian food compared to regular meals. Of those who will eat vegetarian food, 55.4 percent plan to do so for the full nine‑day festival, down from 65.6 percent last year. The main channel for obtaining vegetarian food is buying in person at fresh markets, accounting for 32.3 percent, while online orders have risen from 19 percent to 26 percent. Regarding ingredients, 62.4 percent said prices have risen. Moreover, 89.7 percent of vegetarians have no plan to travel to sacred sites for merit‑making, while 10.3 percent do, with the most popular destinations being the central, northeastern, Bangkok and vicinity, northern, and southern regions. The average travel expense for merit‑making is 6,828.13 baht per person, and the average merit‑making offering is 1,299.91 baht per person. When asked about the impact of the Thai‑Help‑Thai Plus program on their spending during the festival, 67.1 percent said it had no effect. Comparing this year’s vegetarian spending to last year’s, 49.8 percent said it remained the same, with an average per‑person spend of 5,576 baht—the highest recorded—although growth has slowed to 7 percent from last year’s 11 percent. The majority of expenses, 81 percent, come from regular income.
