According to TripAdvisor, Wat Pho went from the 24th most popular tourist site in the world last year to the 17th place this year. The top attraction at Wat Pho is the Reclining Buddha, housed in its own impressive vihan. The colossal golden statue is 15 metres high and just over 43 metres long. The temple’s other most-visited place is the traditional Thai massage service.
Wat Pho receives 10,000 visitors a day on average. During Thailand’s annual high and peak seasons from October to January the number exceeds 15,000 visitors per day. Top sources of visitors by market are China, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, the UK, US, India and Russia.
Wat Pho turns 230 years old this year with a 10-day/10-night grand celebration creating an atmosphere of a bygone era scheduled from 2-11 November. The event will include an exhibition about the temple’s history, daily chanting ritual, the ceremony of wrapping cloth for 230 Buddha images, and a host of other cultural performances to commemorate its 230 years of history.