Two approaching cultural festivals are expected to draw about 30,000 visitors to the southern province of Songkhla and pump hundreds of millions of baht into the local economy – the Hindu Diwali and then the Chinese Vegetarian Festival.
The two festivals will extend over two weeks, the first starting on Friday.
Wittaya Saelim, a veteran tour guide who founded the Songkhla Tour Guide Association, said the Diwali Festival of Lights, also known as Deepavali and celebrated by Indian communities, will run from Oct 17-19. The long holiday is expected to bring a surge of Indian-Malaysian tourists to Hat Yai city, a popular destination bordering Malaysia, Mr Wittaya said.
The tourism boost is set to continue seamlessly into the Chinese Vegetarian Festival, from Oct 20-29, with merit-making ceremonies, vegetarian diet markets and cultural activities.
These two-week events typically attract both domestic and international tourists to the province, he said.
‘Each year we see a consistent rise in Malaysian tourists during this period, This year, we estimate around 30,000 visitors with each spending an average of 5,000 baht per day,’ Mr Wittaya said.
While international arrivals have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels, tourism-related businesses remained resilient in the region, said Natthanon Pongthanyawiriya, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for the southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
Deep South tourism mostly thrived through cultural, religious, agricultural and culinary experiences, Mr Natthanon said. ‘The government also supported entrepreneurs here with low-interest loans and measures to prevent non-performing loans.’
Tour bus and van operators in Songkhla said cultural and religious tourism had performed strongly with most travellers being adults and study groups.
On peak periods, there were up to 100 tour buses arriving daily in Hat Yai. There were five to 10 buses on regular weekdays, according to Songchai Mungprasitthichai, president of the Songkhla Tourism Association. ‘About 80% of Malaysian tour groups will stop to shop at stores, generating at least 50,000 baht per group,’ he said.
Popular purchases include instant noodles, snacks, canned goods, inhalers, balms and other health products.