THE bustling southern Thai border township of Dannok is not expected to be affected by the opening of the new Malaysia-Thailand border crossing on the Thai side of Sadao.
A Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) spokesperson clarified that the old crossing remains open for now, while the new one is just metres away.
This follows concerns that small-scale enterprises along Dannok may be affected due to the change in route.
"It is a win-win as travellers can now enter with ease compared to the peak period, where at times they may need to wait for a few hours due to the congestion at the crossing," said the TAT spokesperson.
For now, the border arrangements are that heavy commercial vehicles, including tour buses, vans, trucks, trailers and long hauliers would be directed to the new crossing.
Those in private vehicles and pedestrians are allowed to use the old crossing for now.
.jpeg)
TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool was among several TAT top officials who accompanied Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul to grace the official opening of the new border crossing.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also present, along with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
In a statement released by TAT, Surasak said that the new connecting road between the Sadao immigration, customs and quarantine (ICQ) crossing and the Bukit Kayu Hitam CIQ in Kedah, Malaysia, is more than just a transport infrastructure.
"It is a vital piece of tourism connectivity that generates economic value to support the growth of the overall tourism aspiration of the kingdom," said Surasak.
The new CIQ will greatly increase convenience for road travel between neighbouring southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.
According to data from the Thai immigration bureau, from January to June 21, this year, Thailand welcomed 2.054 million Malaysian tourists.
From this, 1.768 million entered via land checkpoints (86.1%) while 1.041 million came through the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao checkpoint.
The popular destinations cited by TAT were the provinces of Songkhla, Bangkok, Narathiwat, Yala, Phuket, Krabi and Satun respectively.
Dannok mushroomed in the 1990s, as travellers see it as a convenient location because it was just metres away from the border crossing, whereas Hatyai, the biggest city in southern Thailand, was about 45 minutes away.
Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency's director-general, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, said that eventually, the old border crossing would cease operating. - July 11, 2026.
