SADAO: Foreign visitors to Thailand will have a safe and secure place to leave their vehicles before hopping onto public transport to visit southern Thailand and beyond.
Sadao City Council is turning a vacant 2.4 hectare land next to a sports complex in the town into an open parking area for Malaysians and other foreign visitors.
Its mayor Sumet Sasithon said the parking bays could accommodate up to 50 buses or 200 cars at one time.
He said the 40 million Bhatt (RM5 million) project was expected to be completed by the middle of this year.
"This safe parking space for foreign visitors is meant to provide safe and comfortable parking area for visitors to southern Thailand who wish to use public transport.
"This site is strategically located 12 kilometres from Malaysian border checkpoints in Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah and Padang Besar in Perlis," he told Kedah media delegates during a work visit to southern Thailand yesterday.
Sumet said the project would help to solve the issue concerning lack of parking space for visitors in southern Thailand.
"We are also building 209 million Bhatt (RM24.8 million) shopping premises at the site.
"Besides the shopping premises, we are also organising an open market every weekend at this site," he said.
Sumet added that the parking area was just 2km from a proposed water theme park I Sadao which was scheduled to be completed in two years.