By Linda Khoo Hui Li
BANGKOK, Jan 1 (Bernama) — Visitors from Malaysia to Hatyai, the vibrant southern Thai city, doubled to 20,000 daily during the Christmas and year-end holiday season, contributing more than 2 billion Baht to the local economy in two weeks before the year ended.
Hatyai Songkhla Hotel Association President, Sitthipong Sitthiphataraprabha said Hatyai’s irresistible appeal lies on its combination of delectable and diverse food choices, easy accessibility, and affordable hotel options drew Malaysians in droves.
He said Hatyai has firmly established itself as a favored destination for travel enthusiasts seeking a delightful and budget-friendly getaway.
On ordinary weekdays throughout the year, he said Hatyai typically enjoys a steady flow of around 5,000 Malaysian visitors daily, doubling to nearly 10,000 on weekends.
“Hatyai experiences a joyous surge in visitor numbers from Malaysia during the year-end holiday season. On peak season weekends (Christmas and New Year), Hatyai welcomed an average of 20,000 Malaysians daily, while weekdays see around 10,000 visitors.
“During the festive cheer of Christmas and New Year, Malaysian tourists’ average spending per trip per person reaches 10,000 baht.
“As a result, Malaysian tourists are estimated to have contributed approximately 2 billion baht to the Hat Yai economy this Christmas and New Year celebration,” he told Bernama.
Sitthipong also noted Hatyai hotels have witnessed unprecedented surge in demand, with downtown, a popular area for Malaysian tourists, fully booked during peak holiday weeks.
He added that Hatyai currently boasts around 20,000 rooms, including 8,000 to 12,000 concentrated at downtown.
Ministry of Tourism and Sports said Thailand welcomed 27.25 million tourist where Malaysian tourists top the list with 4.43million followed by Chinese (3.41 million) and South Korea (1.6 million), India (1.58 million) and Russian (1.42 million), as of Dec 24.
— NNN-BERNAMA