Some of the country's top tourist destinations are reporting an overcrowding problem this year as thousands of New Year revellers pay visits during the long holiday.
Tourists take shots of the sunrise at Doi Mon Long in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district amid chilly temperatures. Travellers have been flocking to popular destinations around the country during the New Year holidays. PATTANAPONG HIRUARAD
Among the most popular destinations are Phu Kradung National Park in Loei, Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai, Hat Yai district of Songkhla, and Koh Samui in Surat Thani.
Phukradung National Park chief Sanong Kaew-amphai said the park's famous mountain top, Phu Kradung, had reached its accommodation capacity of 5,000 tourists.
No more tourists would be allowed to ascend to the mountain top.
Phu Hin Rongkla National Park in Phitsanulok was packed with about 5,000 tourists and the park expected about 10,000 holiday-makers would visit the park during the four-day long weekend, park chief Suwan Panunampha said.
Wat Prathat Doi Suthep at Suthep-Pui National Park is another popular destination which says it is near its bursting point.
The only road leading to the mountain was packed with tourist vehicles Sunday. Several cars broke down as they climbed the steep road to the temple, worsening traffic jammed on the route.
In Hat Yai, a shopping paradise for local tourists and visitors from Malaysia and Singapore, about 12,000 hotel rooms have been booked for the holiday.
On Koh Samui in Surat Thani, about 100,000 tourists are expected to join the New Year countdown, Wannee Thaipanich, president of Koh Pha-ngan Tourism Association, said.
On the roads on Saturday, 77 people were killed and 536 injured in accidents.
That takes the road toll for the first three days of the so-called "dangerous days" period of Dec 27-29 to 148 killed, and 1,362 injured nationwide.
The Interior Ministry's Disaster Relief and Mitigation Department said Nakhon Pathom province had reported the highest number of deaths with 11.
Chiang Mai recorded the highest number of people injured on the roads, with 64. The main causes of accidents were drink driving and speeding.