Over the past two years, Thailand's popularity as a holiday destination for Malaysians has surged to an all-time high. In fact, last year, Malaysians accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists in the Kingdom, with an impressive 4,626,422 visitors.

This trend shows no signs of slowing down, as approximately 100,000 Malaysians traveled to Southern Thailand during the recent long weekend for the Hari Malaysia and Maulidur Rasul public holidays.

According to BERNAMA, Sittipong Sitthipatprapha, President of the Hat Yai Songkhla Hotel Association, reported that more than 36,000 Malaysian tourists entered Songkhla province on September 14 alone, via Sadao, Ban Prakob, and Padang Besar. Traffic jams were reported from as early as 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., particularly in the Hat Yai area.

Sittipong further stated, "Surveys conducted by authorities in Southern Thailand show that over the long weekend—Friday through Monday—more than 100,000 Malaysian tourists visited Southern Thailand, especially Hat Yai and Songkhla, along with neighboring provinces like Phatthalung, Trang, and Krabi."

Malaysian tourists contributed a significant 1 billion Baht to the local economy over the long weekend. The Hat Yai Songkhla Hotel Association President also revealed that over 400 hotels, with more than 30,000 rooms, were fully booked, generating an estimated RM129.5 million (1 billion Baht) for the region.

The number of Malaysian visitors could have been even higher if not for the 40 cases of Malaysians being barred from leaving the country at the ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah for various reasons.