Thailand celebrates its New Year with water festival

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Revellers dressed in colourful shirts and goggles fired water guns at each other at the start of the Thai New Year on Sunday, a festival that is marked with water as a symbol of renewal, cleansing and a fresh start.

Some sprayed water from the back of pickup trunks, and everyone expected to get soaked as the Songkran festival got underway.

"Today I came well-prepared. I have my weapons - four (water) guns. I've got goggles and a hat for protection, and a waterproof phone pouch ready to go," said Teera Rachapol, 50.

The celebrations are a bright spot for the country's tourism industry, with the government expecting an 8% increase in foreign visitors for the week.

"This is totally different. And we didn't know what to expect, but it's very fun. I love it. I love the water," said Tinke Stockman, 20, from the Netherlands.

The festivities are taking place just weeks after a powerful earthquake rattled neighbouring Myanmar in March, killing more than 3,500 people and flattening communities. The quake also caused the deadly collapse of a building under construction in Thailand.

Some revellers in Bangkok said they were hesitant to join large crowds, but others said it felt safer than they had expected.

"As long as you have your guard up, there's not going to be any problem," said Zhang, a tourist from China. 

(Reporting by Thomas Suen and Napat WerhcasterWriting by Chayut SetboonsarngEditing by Frances Kerry)