The Mall Group’s executive vice president, Chamnarn Maytaprechakul, said the group would collaborate with restaurant tenants to give away vouchers worth Bt1,500 to any customers who rack up a dining bill of Bt15,000 at The Mall, The Em District (The Emporium and EmQuartier), or Siam Paragon.

Diners at The Mall shopping complexes whose bill is Bt1,000 will get a Bt100 gift voucher and two tickets to Fantasia Lagoon water park.

The campaign will be held between this Saturday and April 17, and is expected to increase customer traffic at the group’s major shopping complexes by 20 per cent.

“Songkran is one of the peak shopping seasons of the year,” Chamnarn said.

“Although some people will travel back to their home towns to celebrate the festive season with their families, others will stay in Bangkok to avoid the heavy traffic heading upcountry. Shopping malls will be popular destinations for people staying in Bangkok during Songkran because of the better traffic situation in the capital. Many small traditional shops on side streets will close during Songkran.”

He said the government’s measure that encourages people to eat out for an income-|tax deduction would stimulate traffic at shopping malls and restaurants.

Mayuree Chaipromprasith, senior vice president for business promotion at Siam Piwat, said that in accordance with the Cabinet’s stimulus policy on consumer spending during the Songkran holidays from April 9-17, Siam Paragon and Siam Centre were collaborating with restaurant tenants to mount a special campaign called “Songkran Dining Tax Rebate @ Siam Paragon & Siam Centre” on those dates.

Participating restaurants and shops will offer a discount of up to 20 per cent. There will also be gift vouchers for customer who dine at restaurants and shops joining in the campaign, she said.

Customers will be able to take tax invoices issued by restaurants between April 9 and 17 to request an income-tax deduction of up to Bt15,000, the government has announced.

Meanwhile, those dining at restaurants and shops joining the campaign at Siam Paragon and Siam Centre can also collect receipts from participating businesses during the same period entitling them to prizes and rewards.

Saving water

Central Pattana (CPN), meanwhile, will be campaigning to save water by holding foam parties, and will be holding various activities such as free concerts performed by well-known singers and musicians, arranging markets of |local goods and foods, and |water-sprinkling ceremonies |for revered Buddha statues in |each province. The events |will centre on CentralWorld |in Bangkok and CentralPlazas |and CentralFestivals nationwide.

“We are emphasising the importance of safety measures and will not allow any [water] weapons to be carried into any of our shopping centres,” said Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, executive vice president for marketing. We will also strictly check the age of anyone buying alcohol and ensure that the activities in our venues are suitable for all ages.

“This year, we will focus |on holding foam parties as well |as using small water guns that |save water. This is a good |opportunity to change our behaviour from using lots of water in traditional celebrations to using a more appropriate quantity of water to cool down from the heat,” he said.

“We are changing this crisis into an opportunity and creating a good image for tourism. |We will also be holding water-|saving-campaign roadshows |to raise awareness on saving |water among visitors to CentralWorld, CentralPlazas and CentralFestivals.”

Nattakit said the government’s tax deduction would have positive effects on the overall retail market and encourage domestic travel during the holiday.

“With various types of restaurants in Central Pattana’s shopping complexes and Songkran activities held in front of the shopping centres, we believe the traffic to our shopping centres will increase by more than 20 per cent and sales at restaurants inside the shopping centres will rise by at least 15 per cent,” he said.

Tesco Lotus, meanwhile, is promoting road safety during Songkran.

As the Songkran holiday is usually one of the most critical periods for road accidents, a special promotion from today through next Wednesday will offer quality-certified motorcycle helmets at half price, cut from Bt399 to Bt199. The promotion is available at all Tesco Lotus hypermarkets nationwide.

Big C has also kicked off a promotion for Songkran Festival, providing special prices on water guns, beverages and clothing. Also, customers are eligible for a lucky draw worth Bt10 million to attend Uefa soccer matches, effective from now until April 18.

The hypermarket chain expects the campaign increase traffic at its stores by 20 per cent.