Old Sadao Checkpoint Loses 90% of Tourists After New Border Opens, Businesses Shut
The old Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla has lost 90% of its tourists since a new, more convenient crossing opened, devastating local businesses including shops, hotels, and transport services. Vendors report the area has become a near ghost town over the past four to five months, with many unable to cover basic costs. They are urging immigration authorities to add more passport counters and improve lighting on the access road to revive traffic.
On November 2, 2026, at the old Sadao checkpoint (Dan Nok) in Samnak Kham subdistrict, Sadao district, Songkhla province, Senator Chaiyong Manirungkul met with a group of vendors severely affected by the opening of the new Sadao checkpoint. The impact on businesses in the Dan Nok market has been heavy, with tourist arrivals dropping 80-90%, nearly turning the area into a ghost town.
One vendor revealed that in the past, Malaysian tourists entering Thailand would stop to shop and eat at the Dan Nok market. Now, 90% of Malaysian tourists use the new Sadao checkpoint instead, because travel to Hat Yai district is more convenient from there than from the old checkpoint. The result: customers have vanished by 90%, affecting every type of business — shops, hotels, entertainment venues, and motorcycle taxis. This has persisted for four to five months. Some operators have chosen to close because they cannot afford rent; even electricity and water bills are unaffordable each month. Business owners have previously submitted letters to multiple agencies seeking help, but the issue has gone silent.
What they are asking for is for the Immigration Bureau to add six passport-control counters for entry and exit at the old Sadao checkpoint to serve tourists who still come there, and to install street lighting along the 300-meter road connecting the new and old checkpoints.
