About 8,000 visitors stranded in hotels and at Hat Yai airport, says TAT.
Tourism revenue in Songkhla is expected to contract by at least 8.5% this month as the province grapples with the most severe floods in more than a decade, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The number of Malaysian tourists to the province could drop by as much as 18% in December if the floods last longer than a week, TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said on Tuesday.
Persistent rainfall since Nov 19 has caused floods in 10 southern provinces, with the most severe impact in Songkhla and its main city, Hat Yai.
Of the 10 provinces, six have experienced moderate impact, with floodwaters stable or receding and roads partially accessible. They include Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Satun, Krabi and Surat Thani, but authorities would still need to closely monitor the situation in these areas.
Four provinces — Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat — have faced a severe impact with floodwater levels exceeding a depth of 1 metre, and 2 metres or more in some areas.
The TAT has opened a crisis centre for communication and for the coordination of assistance for tourists at its headquarters in Bangkok.
The flooding has prompted the agency to revise its forecast for Songkhla for the final two months of the year. Local trips in November are expected to reach 243,150, down 6.9% from a year earlier, with an 8.5% decline in revenue to 1.9 billion baht.
The knock-on effect across the rest of the South would depress revenue by 1.8% to 16 billion baht, said Ms Thapanee.
In December, local trips are expected to shrink further by 2% to 306,400, generating 2.4 billion baht, down 4% year-on-year, while the South overall may see revenue fall by 1.6% to 17.6 billion baht.
If flooding recedes within a week and conditions return to normal in early December, the overall number of Malaysian visitors this year should reach 4.6 million, down 7% from 2024.
However, if the impact lasts longer than a week and the recovery takes more time, Malaysian arrivals could decline by 8% to 4.55 million compared with 2024.
The decline could reach 18% if the damage is as severe as that caused by the major floods in Songkhla in 2000, said Ms Thapanee.
As of Sunday, about 8,000 local and foreign tourists were stranded in hotels and at Hat Yai airport, including 7,300 foreigners, with 90% from Malaysia and the rest from Singapore and Indonesia, she said.
Hat Yai airport also reported around 600 passengers remaining at the terminal, while all hotels in affected areas will stay closed until the situation improves.
November typically marks the beginning of the Aiyoeweng Sea of Mist season in Betong district of Yala. However, the current situation has caused tourists to shift to other destinations, said Ms Thapanee.
Events this month that must be postponed include the Christmas Tree Light-Up Celebration at Central Hat Yai and Thai Fight Phatthalung.
Source: Bangkok Post