Malaysian visitors are estimated to have spent around RM52 million over a four-day period during the Songkran Festival held in Hat Yai and nearby areas including Mueang Songkhla and Danok from April 13.
The estimate is based on a minimum spending of RM522 per visitor or family, with around 100,000 Malaysians believed to have travelled for the celebrations.
President of the Hat Yai–Songkhla Hotel Association, Dr Sittipong Sittipattaraprapha, said the “Hatyai Midnight Songkran 2026” event attracted approximately 500,000 local and foreign tourists in total.
He added that at least 100,000 of them were Malaysians who arrived early in the festive period to take part in the celebrations across the region.
The festival is estimated to have generated around 1 billion baht (approximately RM123.66 million) in tourism and business revenue for the area.
According to him, about 26,400 hotel rooms across the three areas were fully booked by Malaysian tourists during the festival period.
He expressed satisfaction with the strong turnout, noting that visitor numbers exceeded expectations, reaching about 85% compared to the initial 50% target.
Tourism stakeholders and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in Songkhla are now planning additional programmes to further attract Malaysian visitors in the future.
Dr Sittipong also highlighted ongoing efforts to restore Hat Yai’s tourism sector following previous flooding, while noting that hotel prices have remained stable despite rising operational costs such as diesel.
