 
A SHOPPER’S PARADISE
A wealth of shopping opportunities await visitors, and bargains
abound throughout the Country in traditional handicrafts, textiles,
gems, jewellery and antiques, as well as more contemporary items.
But it isn’t only the variety of creatively designed and meticulously
crafted products that so captivates the traveller. The shopping
experience itself is a pleasure in its own right as one explores
from upscale shopping malls and department stores to high streets
and back streets and bustling markets.
What’s more, frequent promotions involving definitively Thai
variations on myriad product themes hold out the prospect of
acquiring a better selection for a lower outlay. And to top
it all, foreign visitors to Thailand can often look forward
to receiving a further price reduction in the form of a healthy
tax refund on department; the perfect way to round off a memorable
stay.
 Shopping
street As part of the year-end shopping celebrations, TAT,
the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and members of the
private sector representing hotels, department stores, shopping
malls and other business interests around Bangkok’s famous Ratchaprasong
Intersection have joined hands to make the area a colourful
shopping street with bright, fresh and fun look decorations.
The harsh lines of the buildings are softened with trees,
plants, landscaping, and a touch of Thai to make the area
aesthetically appealing. All electrical wiring is buried underground.
Street furniture and new lighting are installed and sidewalks
smoothly paved with all the shopping malls in and around the
intersection linked by covered elevated walkways.
There are shopping discounts, special offers and festive celebrations
as well as leisure and entertainment extravaganza held throughout
the period. The highlight is the “Bangkok Countdown” held in
front of the Central World Plaza on New Year’s Eve in which
Thai and foreign visitors gather and join the rest of the world
in welcoming the New Year. |
