Joy train ride for Malaysians to get wet in Hat Yai

Joy train ride for Malaysians to get wet in Hat Yai
Malaysian revelers board the My Sawasdee special train to Hat Yai area on Friday for the Songkran festivity before departing for Kuala Lumpur. ( Photo: Assawin Pakkawan )

SONGKHLA: A unique coach from Malaysia has brought 400 holidaymakers to Hat Yai city to celebrate the Thai New Year.

Over 400 people were on board the My Sawasdee coach, which arrived at Helmet Yai stop at 9am on Friday, for an 11-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. The train left the Malay capital at 10.30pm on Thursday.

The passengers intend to spend the weekends in the southern city, where they will take part in the monthly water splashing festival, before making their Sunday return trip to Kuala Lumpur at 10.20 am.

A special station called My Sawasdee is designed to promote tourism in southwestern Thailand. This year, the Malay train authority did make seven more journeys.

The radiant Songkran celebrations in Hat Yai began on Thursday evening, with locals and tourists from Malaysia and Singapore joining them.

Thai tourism is expected to generate 614 billion baht in revenue as domestic trips surpass the first-quarter tally thanks to Songkran events this month, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT ).

As Songkhla province’s Hat Yai city gets ready for the Songkran event, tourists and residents throng the town on Thursday. ( Photo: Assawin Pakkawan )