Holiday influx at border

Thailand’s southern border districts have begun welcoming large numbers of visitors from neighbouring Malaysia to spend their long holiday there, celebrating Halloween and Diwali festivals.
More than 15,000 Malaysian tourists crossed the Sadao immigration checkpoint in Songkhla’s Sadao district yesterday, a Malaysian public holiday for the Diwali Hindu festival. The tourists flocked to Sadao by car, bus, or motorcycle to travel to Hat Yai or other destinations in Songkhla and nearby provinces.
Local authorities estimated that from yesterday until Sunday, Thailand would welcome more than 40,000 visitors crossing from Malaysia’s Kedah state through the checkpoint.
A source said most hotels and other accommodation services in the Sadao and Hat Yai districts are fully booked during this long holiday, while shops, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses are expected to have many customers.
Meanwhile, the Betong border checkpoint in Yala was also unusually crowded yesterday with tourists crossing from Malaysia’s Perak State, according to a local source.
About 8,000 of them arrived throughout the day. Many travelled in arranged tour groups, while others came in family groups. These tourists are expected to spend time shopping in Betong and travelling on to Yala’s other neighbouring districts, the source said.
In Betong alone, hotels with a combined 5,000 rooms were 95% booked from yesterday until Monday.
It is estimated that this festive holiday will help generate more than 20 million baht in tourism-related income for these areas.
Diwali is the festival of lights and one of the most important events in the Hindu calendar. The annual festival tends to fall between October and November.