Thousands of Malaysian, Singapore tourists arrive at Songkhla border checkpoint

By The Nation

 

 

Thousands of tourists from Malaysia and Singapore crossed the border into Thailand at the Sadao district's border checkpoint in Songkhla on Thursday morning for the Songkran celebration.

 

The Sadao border checkpoint was crowded since early morning when more than 30 buses arrived bringing thousands of tourists to wait in long queues for the immigration process.

 

Pol Maj Pongsiri Pithak, an immigration officer at the checkpoint, said at least 10,000 tourists were expected to go through the checkpoint each day from April 11 to 16.

 

He said the number of immigration officers had been increased at the checkpoint to facilitate the clearing process during the holidays.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30367536

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-11

Yep, Hat Yai is booked out this weekend.

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

30 buses arrived bringing thousands of tourists

Must be huge buses!

1 hour ago, Prairieboy said:

Must be huge buses!

Just well packed

Know many Malay and Singaporeans who to go Hat Yai once a month.  It is Mandarin friendly which cuts down on the same same but different.  TAT is Bangkok centric as cha cha wants tourism centered here.  More and better development needs to take place in Hat Yai. 

On 4/12/2019 at 9:37 AM, yellowboat said:

More and better development needs to take place in Hat Yai. 

What did you have in mind?

 

The problem is your Malaysian and Singaporeans friends are fickle. All it takes is another bomb attack in Hat Yai and they stop coming for six months to a year; that's what has happened after every bombing. So if you've made a significant investment, and are reliant on tourists to make your money, you're in trouble.

 

Hat Yai is primarily a center for commerce. It has no great history, its only really as old as the railway line, it isn't particularly attractive, just a functional hub for trade. Tourism is a handy additional source of income for the city, but it will never be the main driver, particularly whilst the issue of autonomy for the Pattani States remains unaddressed.