20,000 Malaysian tourists boost southern Thailand’s economy during National Day weekend

PATTANI: A total of 20,000 tourists from Malaysia vacationed in Thailand’s southern provinces, contributing over 100mil Baht (RM12.71mil) to the local economy during the long weekend for the National Day celebration last Saturday (Aug 31).

Most Malaysian visitors reportedly used the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Pengkalan Hulu entry points in Malaysia to travel to Sadao and Betong in Thailand.

The Director of the Songkhla Office of Tourism and Sports, Wilawan Pobunsong, mentioned that generally, the number of Malaysian tourists entering through these gateways to holiday in southern Thailand is very encouraging, especially during public holidays or school breaks in Malaysia.

“In total, 20,000 visitors from Malaysia vacationed in southern Thailand during the long weekend last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Aug 30 to Sep 1).

“Among the popular destinations for Malaysian tourists are Samila Beach, Songkhla Old Town, and the Khlong Hae Floating Market in Songkhla Province,” she said when contacted by Bernama on Monday (Sept 2).

Wilawan stated that Malaysian tourists were estimated to have contributed around 100mil Baht to the local economy over the three days.

Additionally, the Head of the Betong Customs Department, Praornrat Rattanspornsomporn, reported that from Friday to Sunday, about 4,000 to 5,000 Malaysian tourists entered through the Betong entry point.

“The influx of Malaysian tourists, especially during public holidays, is always significant, and it is understood that accommodation in Betong also recorded almost 95% bookings,” she said.

Thailand has received 17.5 million foreign tourists and generated approximately 825.541bil Baht (RM106.22bil) in revenue during the first half of this year.

Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports indicate that during the same period, tourists from China topped the list with 3.43 million, followed by Malaysia (2.43 million) and India (1.04 million). – Bernama