PASIR MAS: Rantau Panjang has come back to life as it fills with visitors during the school holidays after previously being described as a quiet ‘cowboy town’ without customers.
The rows of shops in the Rantau Panjang Duty Free Zone are bustling again with visitors shopping for clothes, toys, home appliances and traditional food fare.
The presence of many visitors not only brightens up the atmosphere in town but also provides great relief to traders who have long relied entirely on the holiday season to revive their businesses.
Otherwise the town is said to lack sufficient appeal with most traders complaining about the dearth of customers and some being on the verge of survival with very small sales.
Trader Rohaya Ismail said the situation before the school holidays was very challenging when hardly any customers patronised her shop.
“Sometimes we only sell two or three pieces of fabric a day. We just sit and wait for customers who never arrive,“ she told Bernama.
“But when the school holidays start, the atmosphere changes in an instant. Crowds come streaming in and sales surge dramatically. Thank God, this holiday season has brought us sustenance.”
A Bernama survey at the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex saw vehicles queuing for more than a kilometre since early morning just to enter the neighbouring country.
This phenomenon clearly shows the attraction of the border area which serves as a hotspot for domestic tourists every holiday season.
Visitor Mohd Saifullah Zakaria from Kuala Terengganu said he has no qualms about the hour-long queue at the ICQS entrance because he yearns to bring his family to experience shopping in Sungai Golok.
“For us, this is a different holiday experience. Even though it is crowded, the lively atmosphere at the border is what makes it unique,“ he said.
“My wife, four children and I came to see the atmosphere there and enjoy the diverse and delicious food.”
Another visitor Wan Mohd Zaidi Wan Abdullah from Kuala Krai said he had long wanted to see Southern Thailand, especially Narathiwat.
“I rarely get a long holiday. So this time I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to visit there with my relatives and experience the atmosphere of life on the other side of the border,“ he said.
Rantau Panjang known as a shopping haven for cheap goods is often the focus of locals especially the East Coast folk.
The town becomes livelier during school holidays and public holidays when people come not only to shop but to soak in the unique atmosphere of the border area.
For traders the holiday season is an opportunity to make up for lower sales on weekdays with some increasing their stock early due to confidence in growing tourist numbers.
Some traders dangle special prices to attract more customers during this peak season.
It is hoped that the festive buzz that has returned to the town of Rantau Panjang will continue breathing new life into businesses and maintaining the oscillating fortunes of this prime shopping destination. – Bernama