Tourism News
Thailand tourism news, travel updates, visa policies, and destination highlights—stay informed on hospitality trends, cultural experiences, and major infrastructure projects. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Thailand travel news.
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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Phuket’s tourist evolution – Diversity is the best option Part 2
by Guest Writer Our guest writer has been managing resorts around Phuket for two decades and has represented his brand at international expos along with promotions for Phuket over the years. His knowledge is first-hand and steeped in local experience. He has asked to remain anonymous. Read Part 1 of the report HERE. In Part 1 of the article we…
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TAT chief blames high baht for drop in tourists to Thailand
Thailand’s tourism numbers have been dropping over the past three months, against projections and when compared to year-on-year figures. And the blame game has started. TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) chief Yuthasak Suphasorn is blaming the high value of the Thai baht for the worse than expected tourist figures. He admits that European visitors are being more careful over their money and…
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Thailand tops the poll for countries offering travellers the ‘host’ factor
“The perfect destination for travellers seeking to experience a warm welcome and immerse themselves in the local culture.” A recent poll by booking.com across 29 countries has found Thai people to be among the top nationalities who consider their country to be more hospitable than others. Thailand, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan and India, are the top five countries where…
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Thai government announces hotel license amnesty
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com In a significant move by Thailand’s government, a hotel licensing amnesty program has been announced on a nationwide basis. Clearly pressure by hotel owners amidst an large-scale influx of non-licensed accommodation has spurred the action. Leading international legal advisors Baker McKenzie Thailand have issued an information alert on the program which we are publishing in full,…
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Suvarnabhumi’s ‘fast track’ scam exposed – AoT crackdown on Thailand’s biggest airport
After allegations of massive fraud in the use of Thailand’s largest airport’s Premium Lanes at immigration, Airports of Thailand (AoT) are cracking down on the use of the so-called ‘fast lanes’ and the hawkers profiting from the reselling of the service. Only first and business class passengers, plus passengers with special needs, will be permitted to use the Premium Lane…
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Unregistered hotels and lodgings told to get their paperwork in order, or close down
At least 5,000 of the country’s estimated 23,000 unregistered small hotels are expected to get their paperwork in order. The rush to action follows the announcement by the current government to register and comply with the Hotel Act, or be closed down. Most of Thailand’s busy tourist spots are rampant with small and illegal lodgings for tourists. Whilst the growth…
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Myth: Strong baht deterring western tourists to Thailand
The rise and rise of the Thai Baht, and it’s pushing through the 31.05 to the US Dollar barrier on Wednesday, tops off a turbulent decade of movement against some of the western currencies. The decade’s currency rise has also been matched by a meteoric explosion in tourism pushing Thailand into the top ten list of popular tourist locations in…
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Thailand’s Ayutthaya Elephant Palace says they will fight eviction orders
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, an elephant ride business at the Ayutthaya Historic Park north of Bangkok, says it will fight an order to leave the park. The business manager for the company, Ittiphan Khaolamai says the attraction is ‘nationally recognised’. “We will petition the Central Administrative Court next week. We can’t accept the order requiring us to…
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Ayutthaya Elephant Palace to be relocated for park make-over
Ayutthaya Historical Park has sent a notice to the popular Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, located on Pa Ton road, to vacate the area within 30 days to allow for improvements of the park’s landscape. The elephants, keepers and mahouts are still providing services to tourists visiting the park. Laithongrient Meephan, owner of the Elephant Palace, told Thai PBS that he is…
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How many tourists visit the real Thailand?
PHOTO: Sarah Lazarus – CNN Thailand is best known for its beaches, astonishing street food, markets and diverse south-east Asian culture. But how many people get out of the cities and tourist traps and get to experience the real Thailand? How many expats, living in Thailand, even get to experience the real Thailand? Thailand is the fourth most popular holiday…
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Investigation launched into tiger chained at Phuket Zoo – VIDEO
PHOTOS: DNP VIDEO – I Am A Tiger Advocate Officials are conducting a full investigation after a video clip of a tiger chained at Phuket Zoo on social media claimed that the tiger had been drugged for photos with the public. Phuket officials today have inspected the Phuket Zoo after several social media complaints that the tiger was chained and…
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Burasari opens second Phuket hotel on Coconut Island
PHOTO: Original Vision Island Escape by Burasari, the second Phuket hotel from the Thai-based group, will have a soft opening this September. Located on Koh Maphrao (also known as Coconut Island), the initial product will be 15 villas. By December this year, the full inventory of 180 rooms and 40 villas will be operational. With Island Escape, Burasari Group will operate eight…
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Phuket Town – the UNESCO City of Gastronomy reveals some secrets
VIDEO: Thai PBS A UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Phuket Town is a real foodie town. Among their amazing arrays of local delicacies is a variety of tea snacks, many of which are the integral part of their daily life. The delicate and cute and delicious Pang Pia is among the oldest recipes. Phuket Town has gone through several transformations. Once…
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Not everyone is happy with the closure of Thailand’s National Park hot spots
PHOTO: Sunrise Divers Nature happy. Tour operators unhappy. The closure, albeit temporary, of several of Thailand’s favourite marine national parks and coastal sites, is not universally supported. As the country’s tourist growth plateaus, the baht remains strong and hungry tour operators battle for the same tourist dollar, having many of the most popular attractions struck off their tour list is causing…
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Thais outraged by tourist doing yoga poses at historic and sacred sites
PHOTO: Andreita Levin New outrage alert. Doing yoga poses on famous or sacred sites around Thailand will get you into trouble with the authorities. Tourist Police say they’ve caught up with a foreign woman who shared photos on her Instagram account performing yoga exercises at sacred and historic sites around Thailand. “A Mexican yoga teacher from Canada is being criticised…
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Is Airbnb taking over the Thai hotel industry?
Airbnb is posing a less significant threat to hotels in Thailand than expected, but its influence in the longer term should not be underestimated, according to real estate company JLL Offering new alternatives to travellers, Airbnb is certainly taking some of the wind out of the sails of the traditional hotel accommodation model. However, findings from Jone Lang Lasalle (JLL) shows…
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Grab electric tuk tuks launch in Chiang Mai
Grab, the nemesis of the old taxi and red bus network in Chiang Mai, has signed an agreement with government and private sector partners to establish the Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network. It is the first such partnership in South East Asia. Thai aim is to reduce Chiang Mai’s public transport footprint by 35% within the next five years. The…
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Phuket’s new town planning code will radically change island
Thailand’s Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is finalising sweeping new development regulations for Phuket. The island’s MICE industry is expected to be a big winner from the proposed changes (more below). In April the draft regulations were issued for public comment and it is expected the new set of rules will come into effect over the next…
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Chiang Mai and Hua Hin in Top 10 Asian retirement locations
Hua Hin and Chiang Mai are two of the best retirement destinations in Asia, according to the US News and World Report. Phuket and Bangkok, usually included in lists of Asian retirement locations, didn’t make it onto this list. ThaiVisa reports that they were included in the site’s 10 best places to retire in Asia. The report considers the cost of…
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Suvarnabhumi’s third runway closer to reality
The contracts for the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s third runway are ready to be signed. But it isn’t likely to happen until later this year according to Airports of Thailand (AoT). The AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn says the new 21.7 billion baht third runway, which is included in the airport’s second-phase development plan, was already approved by the cabinet. “It…
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Travel’s dynamic changes – A personal perspective
by Andrew J Wood – President SKÅL International Bangkok With the dramatic announcement of the sale of retail travel giant Thomas Cook following the loss of £1.5 billion brings the blight of the travel agent community into the news once more. Last week Wall Street bank Citigroup advised investors to sell shares in the travel company. Confidence that travel agents…
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Tourism body confident that tourist number will reach 40 million in 2019
Predictions are, despite a few bumps along the way, that the number of tourists coming to Thailand in 2019 will still reach 40 million. The University of the Thai Chambers of Commerce’s Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting is still positives following campaigns promoting tourism in local cities and the extension of the waiver of the visa-on-arrival fee. The Director…
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Tourist Police raid the C Ekkamai condo to arrest people running rooms as ‘hotel’ – Bangkok
PHOTO: Thai Tourist Police Bureau page on Facebook Follow up to a story last week where residents of a condo tower in Bangkok were complaining that many of the rooms were being run as a quasi-hotel. The Thai Tourist Police Bureau sent 40 officialst to the luxury Bangkok condominium. The raid was actually last Thursday, three days after the story…
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Beam me up Phuket – new space theme hotel for the island
A 150 key space themed hotel is under development in Kathu, Phuket, by a Singaporean group . Located close to the Central Festival and Makro complexes, the project is expected to open next year according to a report in TTG Asia. The One Pioneer – Beyond Space Travel hotel say it’s “highly focused on an outer space storyline and will have…
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“Nothing but rude Indians, Chinese and Arabs” – Pattaya locals go feral online
“Where are all the nice ones – like Americans – who spend cash and behave well!?” PHOTO: Sophon Cable Sophon Cable TV on Facebook has quoted the head of the Eastern Seaboard Hotel Association, Sanpetch Supphabowonsathian, saying advance bookings for this high season in Pattaya showed a 5-10% increase on last year. But as the local hotel association were upbeat over…
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100 baht tourist tax to cover basic insurance and repatriation
Every foreign tourist arriving or departing Thailand will be charged 100 baht for basic insurance which would cover money for emergencies and repatriation of their body if they meet with misadventure. As reported yesterday, the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports proposes that every foreign tourist visiting Thailand should be charged a levy to cover basic insurance and life insurance.…
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Ministry looks at tourist levy to fund infrastructure
A tourist levy is being considered amongst a raft of changes to improve the amenity of local tourist attractions. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is floating the initiative after the National Tourism Policy Act was enacted and published in the Royal Gazette this week, according to the Bangkok Post. The Ministry is now in talks with universities and insurance companies to research…
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What to do in Phuket – A Unique Guide
A modern Holiday Membership Club with its flagship office at the luxurious Patong Bay Hill Resort on Hasibpee Hill, Club Unique offers members an endless choice of possibilities as well as an almost limitless array of luxuries across a global platform. While a stay with Club Unique is exceptional in itself, the staff are eager to offer members & guests…
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Skål International heads to Phuket, June 2020
by Paul Poole Tourism industry professionals from all over the world are expected to descend on Phuket between June 25-27, 2020, for the 49th edition of Skål Asia Congress. With more than 15,000 members in almost 90 different countries, Skål International is the world’s largest organisation of tourism professionals. Through countless local, national and international events, Skål International promotes global tourism…
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Banyan Tree Samui goes ‘retro’ with the new Tuk-Tuk Bar
Banyan Tree Samui resort has opened what might be the quirkiest if not the cutest bar in Thailand, a cocktail caravan remodelled from a classic 1960s tuk-tuk. The MP4 Midget is virtually unseen on the streets of Thailand these days. But once upon a time, the “frogs”, as they were commonly nicknamed, were everywhere. Thousands of these 12 HP 350cc…
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