Thailand’s Wat Arun and Yi Peng Festival recognised as “World Night View Heritage” sites

Wat Arun

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) proudly announces that Bangkok’s iconic temple, Wat Arun, and Chiang Mai’s magical lantern festival, Yi Peng, have been recognised as “World Night View Heritage” sites.

The certificates were presented to the representatives of Wat Arun and Chiang Mai Province at the World Heritage of Night View Certification Ceremony. The event was held as part of the “Japan Night View Tourism Summit 2024”, which took place last week in Bangkok.

Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT Governor, said “We would like to express our thanks to the YAKEI Convention and Visitors Bureau for these honours. Wat Arun and Yi Peng Festival are two of Thailand’s iconic historical and cultural heritages that have been welcoming thousands of visitors every year. These recognitions will surely shine a spotlight on their amazing night view charms and inspire more visits by tourists from around the world.”

Bangkok’s iconic temple on the Chao Phraya riverside, Wat Arun, is one of Thailand’s most-visited tourist attractions. Its main pagoda, decorated with porcelain that glimmers in the sunlight, is beautifully lit up nightly from sunset to sunrise (18.00-06.00 Hrs). It is an internationally recognisable landmark, having been used as a location in several Hollywood movies, and is also considered as the icon of the Thai tourism industry, having been featured on the TAT logo.

Wat Arun

Yi Peng is an ancient Lanna cultural tradition unique to the north of Thailand, which has been incorporated into the annual Loi Krathong Festival that is celebrated nationwide on the full moon of the 12th lunar month. The biggest and best-known Yi Peng event takes place in Chiang Mai where colourful lanterns are hung outside homes and temples, sky lanterns or ‘khom loi’ are released, and locals wearing traditional Lanna clothing take part in street parades and local celebrations. These days, with an increasing awareness of a more responsible way of celebrating Yi Peng, guidelines have been set on the times and locations for releasing the sky lanterns.

Wat Arun and Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng Festival have been recognised along with ten other World Night View Heritage sites, including Ayutthaya’s world-famous historic ruins.

Mr. Motoo Marumaru, President of YAKEI Convention & Visitors Bureau, said “The World Night View Heritage certification was created to recognise and honour places and events around the world that offer scenic nighttime landscapes, and which are used to help promote tourism. The Committee has set ten criteria for the certification, for which a site must prove three or more of these criteria to be certified.”

Thailand has been chosen as the host country of the “Japan Night View Tourism Summit 2024”, marking the first time in seven years that the event was held outside of Japan. The event was attended by delegates from 50 organisations and local governments from around Japan.