Over the past 2 years, Thailand’s popularity among Malaysians as a holiday destination has seemingly reached an all-time high. In fact, tourists from our country made up the largest number of foreign travellers in the Kingdom last year with a whopping 4,626,422 visitors.
The trend doesn’t seem to wane this year too as during this long weekend for the public holidays of Hari Malaysia and Maulidur Rasul, approximately 100,000 Malaysians flocked across the northern border to go on a holiday in Southern Thailand.
Some 100,000 Malaysians travelled to Southern Thailand during the Hari Malaysia long weekend
For illustration purposes
BERNAMA quoted the Sittipong Sitthipatprapha, the President of the Hat Yai Songkhla Hotel Association as saying that more than 36,000 Malaysian tourists entered the Songkhla province in Southern Thailand through the Sadao, Ban Prakob and Padang Besar on 14 September alone.
As a result, traffic jams were reported from as early as 5am until 11pm, especially in the Hat Yai areas.
Sittipong added,
“Surveys conducted by authorities in Southern Thailand show that throughout this long weekend—Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—more than 100,000 tourists from Malaysia have visited Southern Thailand, particularly Hatyai and Songkhla, as well as neighbouring provinces like Phatthalung, Trang, and Krabi,”
Samet Nangshe viewpoint in Phang Nga, Southern Thailand
Malaysian tourists contributed a whopping 1 BILLION Baht over the long weekend
Sadao Immigration Checkpoint in Southern Thailand
The Hat Yai Songkhla Hotel Association President further revealed that over 400 hotels, with more than 30,000 rooms were fully booked during this long weekend, with the estimated revenue to the local economy being north of a whopping 1 BILLION Baht or approximately RM129.5 million.
Well, the number of Malaysian tourists visiting Southern Thailand might’ve been more if not for these 40 cases of Malaysians being barred from leaving the country at the ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah for various reasons. You can read about these cases here.
Lee Garden Night Market in Hatyai, Southern Thailand
So, what do you guys think of these Malaysians tourists ironically ‘celebrating’ Hari Malaysia in Thailand? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
