Songkhla earns 32 billion baht from tourism in seven months as Malaysian visitors lead the recovery
The Tourism Authority of Thailand shared the figure at a mobile cabinet meeting in the province, with a full-year forecast above 55 billion baht.
Songkhla province in southern Thailand earned 32 billion baht from tourism in the first seven months of 2026, a figure the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) presented as a sign of broad recovery. TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool shared the number during the mobile cabinet meeting held in the province on 31 August and 1 September 2026.
For the full year, TAT expects Songkhla to draw about 7.5 million visitor-trips and to pass 55 billion baht in revenue. Both figures would top 2025, when the province recorded 7.18 million visitor-trips and 54.05 billion baht. The meeting itself carried added weight for the south, coming after the flooding that hit the border provinces in late 2025.
Malaysia is doing much of the heavy lifting. Songkhla logged 948,802 person-trips from Malaysia between January and July, along with 28,248 from Singapore. Immigration Bureau data cited by TAT places the province ahead of Bangkok as the leading destination for Malaysian travellers, a reflection of how close the two sides sit and how often families cross for a weekend.
Hotels felt it too. Occupancy in Hat Yai and Songkhla reached 80 percent between 28 August and 6 September, a stretch that lined up with Malaysia's National Day and the school break. Much of that traffic arrives overland through the Sadao and Padang Besar checkpoints, with more coming through Hat Yai airport. During the Hat Yai Midnight Songkran, the Sadao crossing handled 13,000 to 15,000 people a day.
Overland access keeps improving. On 10 July, Thailand and Malaysia opened a new road linking the Sadao Customs House in Songkhla with the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah, a project both governments framed as tourism infrastructure. TAT is now preparing a New Hat Yai push that ties the city to nearby Phatthalung, Trang, and Nakhon Si Thammarat, encouraging visitors to travel wider and stay longer rather than turn back at the border.
There is more to the province than the numbers. Thapanee pointed to a busier night economy, with Thai massage shops, entertainment venues, and the old town walking street drawing crowds again, alongside Songkhla's standing as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. The calendar for the rest of 2026 includes Thai Fight Songkhla, the Rimlay Beach Party, the Songkhla Marathon, and an alms-giving event for 10,000 monks.
For visitors who want to see that wider south on their own schedule, transport is part of the experience. This is where Balm Rentals fits alongside local providers: the marketplace shows the price, deposit, and rental terms in full before payment, in the traveller's own language, so a family arriving from Penang or a couple flying into Hat Yai knows what they are agreeing to. Listings come from vetted, licensed operators, and the whole booking sits in one iOS or Android app.
That kind of clarity matters most on a trip that crosses a border or strings together several towns. When the vehicle side is straightforward, the day is free for the food, the beaches, and the drive itself, the part of southern Thailand people tend to remember.
