Predicted record-low activities for Valentine's Day
Thais' spending on St. Valentine's Day is expected to fall 4.52 per cent from the previous year to Bt3.51 billion, the lowest in nine years, according to a survey.
The University of Thai Chamber of Commerce's survey showed that consumer spending is not back to normal, said Thanavath Phonvichai, director to the UTCC's Economic and Business Forecasting Centre.
Plus, the public perception that goods prices have gone up sharply remains strong, he added.
The spending is expected to fall though 61.7 per cent of respondents said that the atmosphere would be as joyous as in the past year. Yet, 41.6 per cent said that goods prices have gone up.
The survey also showed that flowers would be the most popular gifts for the day, as 30.8 per cent of respondents plan to buy flowers for their loved ones. Thirty per cent plan dining out and 19.7 per cent plan to give chocolate to loved ones.
The average spending is Bt1,901, against Bt1,1813 in 2014. About 20.7 per cent of the respondents say they would cut spending from last year, while 55.1 per cent would maintain last year's sum.
