Eyeing Malaysian tourists, Thailand's southern province Songkhla proposes to end ban on foreign buses' travel to other provinces

Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 — Thailand’s southern province Songkhla, which shares a border with Kedah and Perlis, is hoping to bring in more Malaysian tourists by pushing for the lifting of a ban on foreign-registered buses’ travel from Songkhla to other provinces within Thailand, a report has said.

Thai paper Bangkok Post cited Phatthalung Tourism Association president Charoon Kaewwaveesub as saying yesterday that Songkhla and the local land transport office have already agreed to lift the restriction and that what remains now is the Land Transport Department in Bangkok’s final approval.

According to Bangkok Post, an August 15, 2014 provincial regulation limits foreign-registered buses with passengers to only travel within the Songkhla province, with the rule initially aimed at supporting bus operators in Thailand in getting Malaysian passengers travelling out of the province.

But Bangkok Post said tourism operators in Thailand’s southern provinces including Songkhla have said the 2014 rule was inconvenient and discourages visitors from going to the southern region.

Bangkok Post cited Songkhla Tourism Promotion Association president Songchai Mungprasithichai as claiming that the 2014 rule was causing Thailand to lose out on about 1 billion baht (RM133 million) annually in tourism revenue.

If the ban is lifted, Bangkok Post said foreign buses without passengers will still not be allowed to enter Thailand, and that foreign buses which plan to travel beyond Songkhla’s province will still have to get approval first.

The report said most Malaysian tourists enter Thailand either by car or in buses and mostly through the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla.

According to a report yesterday by news wire Reuters, Thailand recorded about 28 million foreign tourists last year, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand saying Malaysian tourists were the largest group at 4.5 million, followed by Chinese tourists at 3.51 million.

According to the same Reuters report, travellers from China to Thailand number more than 533,000 as of February 1 this year, followed by Malaysian tourists at over 337,000 and South Korea travellers at over 229,000.

In June last year, Bangkok Post had reported that tourism associations in 14 southern provinces in Thailand wanted rules to be relaxed to allow Malaysian tour buses to travel beyond the Songkhla province to other southern provinces and for Malaysian visitors be allowed to visit all 14 southern provinces by tour buses.