300,000 Malaysian Tourists Head North, Over RM120 Million Flow Into Southern Thailand During Long Holiday

The Hari Raya Haji long holiday, combined with the school break, has sparked a tourism surge among Malaysians heading north. In just nine days, an estimated 300,000 Malaysian tourists flocked to multiple cities in Southern Thailand, bringing in over 1 billion Thai Baht (approximately RM123.2 million) in tourism revenue, becoming a key driving force for the Southern Thai economy.

According to Southern Thailand tourism industry statistics, from May 27 to June 4, large numbers of Malaysian tourists entered Thailand via land border checkpoints, boosting hotel, restaurant, and retail business in Songkhla, Satun, Trang, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat.

Songkhla-Hat Yai Hotel Association chairman Sitthiphon pointed out that during the holiday period, over 30,000 hotel rooms were almost fully booked, with occupancy rates reaching 100%, reflecting the importance of Malaysian tourists to Southern Thailand's tourism market.

He said most tourists entered via the nine land border checkpoints connecting Malaysia and Thailand, with the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao checkpoint, Padang Besar, Golok, and Wang Kelian being the busiest.

However, the tourism boom also exposed inadequate border processing capacity. Sitthiphon admitted that many tourists were forced to queue for hours at the checkpoints when entering or returning, with some car owners waiting as long as 3 to 4 hours to complete immigration procedures.

"Especially at the Sadao Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) Center, the congestion was exceptionally severe. Some tourists, due to the unmoving traffic, were forced to spend the night in their cars or by the roadside."

He said this issue has been reported to the authorities, hoping for a prompt improvement of clearance efficiency to avoid impacting tourist experience and the development of Southern Thailand's tourism industry.

Faizul (age 40) from Banting, Selangor, expressed in an interview that he and his wife took over 8 hours to reach Hat Yai on a motorcycle for vacation. Although they faced border congestion on the way, he still believed the trip was worthwhile.

"There are many delicacies here that you can't find in Malaysia, and the prices are reasonable. Even if I have to wait a long time at the checkpoint, I will still visit again in the future."

Hasbuh (age 42) from Terengganu, meanwhile, took advantage of the school holidays to bring his family to Hat Yai and planned to return before school resumed.

He said he had already been to most local travel spots many times, and Hat Yai offers affordable food and shopping options, making it the family’s top destination every holiday.

With Malaysia-Thailand border tourism continuing to heat up, how to improve clearance efficiency at checkpoints and prevent the "tourism boom" from becoming a "traffic nightmare" has become an urgent issue for border management authorities of both countries.