Songkhla welcomes foreign-visa vans to revive local tourism

SONGKHLA, 18 August 2014(NNT)- Authorities in Songkhla province have now allowed foreign visa-run drivers and other vehicles to cross the Thai-Malaysian border into the area since 1st August, 2014 to facilitate tourism from Malaysia and to boost tourism in the local area.

Songkhla Governor Thamrong Chareonkul has agreed with the private sector and tourism companies to allow Malaysia-visa vans with passengers and tourists in the vehicles to enter temporarily restricted areas; Hat Yai and Muang district after the earlier blockade from entering Thailand via Sadao check point.

The eased measure is to help revive tourism in Songkhla and Hat Yai since most of the tourists in the area are from Malaysia. The ban was lifted to permit tourists to cross the border into Thailand.

The authorities will further consider relaxing the ban in other areas in the future.

The policy will help increase numbers of Malaysian tourists entering Thailand since the Malaysian tourism agencies can now cut the cost of hiring Thai visa vans to commute to the kingdom. Foreign visa vans with passengers on board will be allowed to commute to the two districts until 31st October, 2014 before there's further consideration.


-- NNT 2014-08-18

guess you can only shoot yourself in the foot so many time before you wake up and realise the foots almost gone..simply dumb

"Can enter Hat Yai and Muang district after the earlier blockade from entering Thailand via Sadao check point" ....... . Hub of stupidity

The ban was lifted to permit tourists to cross the border into Thailand.

Loss of face better than loss of pocket.

The ban was lifted to permit tourists to cross the border into Thailand.

Loss of face better than loss of pocket.

In the "authorities" tiny little xenophobic minds, they haven't lost any face . . . they are simply doing other people a favor and being nice and promoting harmony . . . there is absolutely NO backpedaling whatsoever.

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The ban was lifted to permit tourists to cross the border into Thailand.

Loss of face better than loss of pocket.

In the "authorities" tiny little xenophobic minds, they haven't lost any face . . . they are simply doing other people a favor and being nice and promoting harmony . . . there is absolutely NO backpedaling whatsoever.

You certainly hit the nail on the head there mate.

make them all level metered taxi's or songtaews...

This is good news. I wonder if the visa run companies are aware of this?

The penang < > hat yai minivan service was affected by this, but it should be back to normal now.