Tourism in Hat Yai booming during Vegetarian Festival

SONGKHLA, Oct 18 (TNA) - Thousands of Malaysian and Singaporean tourists continue to visit Hat Yai district near the Thai-Malaysian border during this weekend as the annual Vegetarian Festival comes to an end mid this week. The nine-day Vegetarian Festival ends this Wednesday. On Saturday night, more than 20 performers of deities displayed several activities of unbelievable magic which included scaling along stair-of-knives and bridge-of-knives along a street in central Hat Yai as more than a thousand of foreign tourists watched in awe. Also, a total of 100,000 rounds of firecracker were lighted in town, known as shopping paradise among the tourists. Similar activities will be organised Monday night, aimed at creating the festival atmosphere more colourful in the district. It is estimated some 10,000 Malaysian and Singaporean tourists would visit Hat Yai as hotel rooms are almost fully booked. More than 100 million baht is expected to change hands during the festival in the district. (TNA)