Warorot market falls quiet as post-Songkran souvenir sales disappoint

Traders at Warorot Market — Chiang Mai’s most popular souvenir hub — say this year’s Songkran was unlike any they can remember. As the festival wound down, stalls that would normally be mobbed with last-minute buyers sat largely empty, with vendors reporting that the few visitors who did pass through mostly browsed without buying.

Nongkul Warisuppawut, owner of the Sri Phan shop, attributed the slump to a combination of high fuel costs and a general economic squeeze that has made people reluctant to spend. At the same time, vendors are absorbing cost increases of over 30% on packaging materials and food ingredients — yet have held prices steady, knowing that any rise would drive away what little custom remains. Sai-ua continues to sell at 500 baht per kilogram and crispy pork rind at 600 baht, but even at those unchanged prices, buyers are scarce.

Vendors noted that April 13th, typically one of the busiest mornings of the year, when locals flock to the market before heading out to pour water on Buddha images, was this year almost completely dead. The post-festival period, which normally sees a steady stream of visitors stocking up on gifts to take home, has been equally quiet.