Hotel rooms in Hat Yai fully booked during Songkran festival.

SONGKHLA, April 3 - Hotel rooms in the southern district of Hat Yai, known as a shopping paradise, are now fully booked mostly by tourists from Malaysia and Singapore during Songkran festival or Thailand's traditional New Year, said Somchart Pimthanapoonporn, president of the Hat. -Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association.

Despite worries over current severe flooding in the South, Mr Somchart said hotel rooms in Hat Yai have been fully booked between April 11-14 as tourists from those two neighbouring countries want to join Thais in the annual water splashing festival.

Enthusiasm is shown among tourists after several Thai government agencies and the private sector have jointly organised several events during the festival and the highlight of the celebrations will be held in the evening of April 12 until the following day, Mr Somchart said.

Although rainfall in Hat Yai has eased, Prai Pattano, mayor of Hat Yai, said officials have erected big signboards with flags signaling flooding disasters at key areas in the district such as both sides of Klong U-tapao, around a fountain and in front of. the municipal office, in order to keep the public informed on the flood situation in the district.

The water level in Klong U-tapao on Sunday was about five metres below its banks.

People in the district are still worried about the ongoing flooding situation which has ravaged 10 provinces in the region, as the district was hard hit by massive flooding last November, Mr Prai added. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-04-03

I'll be dam_n glad to be gettin OUT of Hat Yai in a couple of days. Don't wanna be here with all the Asian tourists and will be headin up to Phuket to be a chillaxin wiv all ma farang tourists instead hehe. Just hope road conditions on the 12th be ait.

Agree ...Avoid at all costs....

prefere our tradition SK celebrations back here in the Smoke....Tradition like ....sans nutters.

Rinrada - whatcha mean by "sans nutters"?

Agree ...Avoid at all costs....

prefere our tradition SK celebrations back here in the Smoke....Tradition like ....sans nutters.

Just looked up hotel's in Hat Yai asked for room's (3) from the 11th till the 15th The New Season & Novotel both have so their not all booked. Sound's like the usual rubbish. Mr Somchart !!! should maybe get his info right.