Following the Songkran Thai New Year celebrations, His Excellency Mr Weerasak Kowsurat, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, and Mrs Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) made a special trip to Suvarnabhumi Airport on 20 April 2008 to meet with departing travellers to personally thank them for having made plans to be in Thailand for the Songkran celebrations and to invite them to return to the Thai kingdom once again in November 2008 for Loi Kathong — Festival of Lights.

One of the Kingdom's oldest and best-preserved traditions, Loi Krathong is highlighted as one of the ‘seven wonders’ of Amazing Thailand under the “Amazing Thailand” destination marketing theme.

The minister and TAT governor presented each of the departing travellers with a copy of a 9-minute video documentary on Loi Kathong. Produced by the TAT, the video documentary is available in nine languages — Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Korean, English, Russian, German, French as well as Thai.

On the morning of 20 April, Minister Weerasak and TAT Governor Phornsiri greeted 200 Russian travellers as they boarded Transaero flight UN 256 bound for home following a trip organized by TEZ Tour to several destinations along Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard such as Pattaya and Samet island.