Hat Yai district of Songkhla is expected to welcome as many as 100,000 Malaysian tourists to join the Songkran festival this weekend.
The number of Malaysians travelling over the holiday has grown this year, as it coincided with the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, said Sitthipong Sittipatprapha, president of the Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association.
My Sawasdee, a special train from Malaysia to the district, arrived in Hat Yai on Friday morning carrying more than 400 passengers after an 11-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur.
The passengers will get to enjoy a weekend of splashing water in the city before returning to the Malaysian capital on Sunday.
The train is run by Malayan Railway Ltd, which operates special routes between Malaysia and Thailand during festivals. Seven more trips are expected this year.
In Betong district of Yala, a Songkran event kicked off on Friday under the theme “Hom Sabai, Sai Jeans”, or “Wearing a traditional shawl with jeans”.
Chaya Chaowalit Road in the downtown area was packed with tourists from Malaysia and Singapore enjoying activities including water fighting, a foam party and stage performances.
The event is scheduled to wrap up on Sunday.
In Chon Buri, at least 3,000 Chinese tourists flocked to Pattaya Water Space, the resort city’s newest tourist attraction.
Some came directly to the city on charter flights under a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens.
In Khon Kaen, a major Songkran event was set to kick off on Saturday with ceremonial merit-making at the City Pillar Shrine in the morning and light and sound processions in the evening.
Meanwhile on Khao Niew Road, one of the province’s biggest Songkran venues, an alcohol-free “human surfing” event has been organised over a 1.3-kilometre stretch.
“All the hotel rooms are now fully booked. We expect to see over 700 million baht in circulation during the event,” said Heerasak Theekayupan, the mayor of Khon Kaen town.
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