PADANG BESAR, Padang Besar continues to be a focal point for visitors in the state during the school holiday, much to the delight of the local traders.
Bordering Songkhla, Thailand, Padang Besar, which offers a variety of goods such as food, clothing, jewellery and home furnishings, including from neighbouring countries, at cheap prices, can also be accessed by the Electric Train Service (ETS), making it one of the choices for visitors.
Bernama’s survey found that most of the traders were very happy with the presence of visitors to the business arcade, which houses hundreds of shop lots and stalls throughout the school holidays, compared with the gloomy atmosphere on normal days.
Food trader, Khalija Nyan, 26, said that delicacies such as dim sum, dodol as well as fruits and drinks are among the best-selling products among visitors to the Padang Besar Shopping Arcade, compared with normal days.
‘If a comparison is made, I can make an estimated profit of more than RM600 a day during this school holiday season, compared with doing business on a normal day when I earn about RM150 a day.
‘Alhamdulillah, there is an increase in business profits during this school holiday season, thus increasing my daily income as a trader, and I hope that this will continue in conjunction with the Visit Perlis Year 2024-2025,” she said.
Visit Perlis Year 2024-2025, which targets the attendance of 3.5 million tourists, will provide various tourist locations, local products, events and heritage as well as culture in the state.
Padang Besar, more popularly known as ‘Pasar Siam’ (Siamese Market) by local residents, is located in the northern part of the state, and is about 34 kilometres from the state capital, Kangar.
Meanwhile, handicraft trader Asmida Wan Husin, 48, whose income has increased five times compared with a normal day, said that rattan bags, priced at RM30 per unit, are among the best-selling products bought by visitors to her shop.
‘My handicraft business received an extraordinary response during this school holiday season, when I was able to earn an estimated profit of more than RM1,000 a day, compared with a normal day of only RM200.
‘I sell craft items priced from RM30 to RM150 per piece, and the most popular item from customers is rattan bags… customers also buy other items, but most prefer rattan bags,’ she said.
An Indonesian tourist, Nofi Kamim, 28, who set foot in the shopping arcade for the first time, said that her visit to Perlis was to enjoy the beauty of the atmosphere in this state as well as to experience for herself the uniqueness of Padang Besar.
‘This is my first time coming to Padang Besar; the food and goods here are the same as in Thailand and I also like Perlis, which is not too crowded with people, compared with other big cities,’ said Nofi, from Central Java.
Another visitor, who only wanted to be known as Jijah, 36, from Perak, said that Padang Besar is always one of the must-visit destinations for her and her husband if they go on holiday to Perlis, due to its tranquillity.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
