“Budget-friendly holiday” – 20K M’sians Enter Hatyai Daily on Xmas Season, Brings in RM268 Mil to Economy

With the festive season at its end, many Malaysians have returned to work this morning (January 2), which contributed to the massive traffic in Klang Valley. 

With many of us being away for year-end vacation recently, Hatyai, Thailand recorded an entrance of a whopping 20,000 Malaysians daily during the Christmas season, which is twice the number of Malaysian visitors entering the country on normal days. Thanks to the massive entrance of Malaysian visitors to Hatyai during the year-end holiday, it has contributed 2 billion baht (approximately RM268 million) to the local economy.

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Food options & affordable accommodation!

The president of the Songkhla Hotels Association, Hatyai (Hatyai Songkhla Hotels Association), Sitthipong Sitthiprapha said, Hatyai’s undeniable appeal lies in the combination of delicious and varied food options, easy access, and affordable accommodation options that attract many Malaysian visitors, making it a perfect destination for those who are on a budget.

“Hatyai has strengthened its position as a favorite destination for tourism enthusiasts looking for an interesting and budget-friendly holiday.”

On a normal day throughout the year Hatyai usually enjoys a steady flow of about 5,000 Malaysian visitors per day, and nearly 10,000 on weekends.

The amount, however, doubled up in the recent year-end season, with an average of 20,000 Malaysians entering Hatyai daily.

“During the Christmas & New Year celebrations, the average expenditure of Malaysian tourists per trip reached 10,000 baht per person.”

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports said Thailand welcomed 27.25 million tourists with Malaysian tourists leading the list with 4.43 million, followed by China (3.41 million) and South Korea (1.6 million), India (1.58 million) and Russia (1.42 million), as of December 24, 2023, according to a report by BERNAMA.

Fellow Malaysians, were you among the contributors to the spike in tourism in Hatyai? Where did you spend the last week of 2023?

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