Throngs of int'l tourists celebrate New Year in Hat Yai

HAT YAI, THAILAND, December 25 (TNA) - Tour operators have estimated that over 300 million baht should be changed hands in Hat Yai during the ongoing New Year celebrations, as throngs of international tourists are pouring into the southern Thai business hub in Songkhla Province. Surapol Kampalanontwat, President of Songkhla's Tourists Business Federation, told journalists that at least 200 buses brought international tourists, especially those from Malaysia and Singapore, to Hat Yai on December 25 alone, while all hotel rooms in Hat Yai have been fully booked until early next year. International tourists were packing the heart of Hat Yai on Friday to celebrate the Christmas Day, as local authorities decorated the business hub according to the special occasion. International visitors were happily taking photographs with landscape decorations, including Christmas trees, while security officers including plain-clothes ones, have been patrolling Hat Yai to guarantee public safety. (TNA)