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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Sponsored New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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Reopening details for Phuket, Samui and beyond laid out
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha made the bold announcement Wednesday that Thailand would be reopening in 120 days and now more details are being solidified for different regions around the country. The Phuket Sandbox leads the way July 1, and new plans look to launch Samui Plus on July 15, with Krabi, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Buri Ram, and Phang Nga expected to…
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Refinements to the Sandbox as the countdown continues to Thailand’s reopening
Nearing the 10 day countdown to the Phuket sandbox and it couldn’t be a more important milestone for Thailand’s battered tourist industry. The official re-opening to world travellers and tourists to the tropical island in southern Thailand is a vital pilot program for the rest of the country. This week the PM proclaimed that all of Thailand will be open…
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CCSA: 120 day reopening will proceed with conditions
If you believed that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s declaration that Thailand will reopen in 120 days no matter what was set in stone, you don’t know much about Thailand. While the plan is still on, The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration held a meeting yesterday where they watered down the exuberant international tourism restart announcement with conditions and exceptions for the…
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Sandbox latest, CCSA says all regions reopening must reach 70% local vaccination
Discussions about re-opening Thailand have spread beyond Phuket with the latest decisions from the CCSA. Meanwhile, Phuket’s Sandbox re-opening date of July 1 looms. The main narrative out of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is the need for regions or provinces, slated for re-opening to vaccinated overseas travellers, to have vaccinated 70% of their resident population before they can…
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Over 300 Phuket businesses awarded SHA Plus accreditation ahead of re-opening
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has declared the southern island of Phuket as “sandbox-ready”, after awarding SHA Plus accreditation to more than 300 tourism businesses. Phuket is gearing up for a much-anticipated re-opening on July 1, although it must be pointed out that this is still subject to official approval. The SHA endorsement confirms that hotels and other tourism businesses…
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Krabi hotels pin hopes on Phuket sandbox success
Hotel operators in the southern province of Krabi will be watching Phuket’s imminent re-opening with great interest. The success of the Phuket “sandbox” will determine what happens in Thailand’s other tourism hotspots. According to the Bangkok Post, a successful re-opening for Phuket would mean Krabi and other destinations can look forward to re-opening their hotels and recruiting workers for the…
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Tourism bodies concerned vaccination uncertainty will disrupt re-opening
Earlier this week, Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, pledged to re-open the country to international tourism within 120 days. But tourism operators aren’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Many have voiced concerns over the delays in the vaccine rollout, fearing that if Thailand doesn’t get its act together on vaccination, the re-opening could be affected. According to the Bangkok…
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Survey: 90+% feel bar ban, restrictions hamper Phuket Sandbox
In an “is water wet?”-style survey conducted by Thai Examiner, about 92% of foreigners polled disagree with the bar and entertainment venue closures during the Phuket Sandbox reopening. This, coupled with the bumbling, haphazard implementation of the reopening is driving foreigners away from coming to Phuket according to the site’s informal survey of 240 people. The Mayor of Patong confirmed…
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Location-tracking wristbands and punishments for escapees: Phuket gets ready to welcome vaccinated tourists
As the date of Phuket’s re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists draws closer, officials are busy preparing all necessary measures prior to the influx. The “sandbox” scheme kicks off on July 1 and provincial officials have been rehearsing immigration and Covid-19 control measures at Phuket airport, the island’s ports, and the Tha Chat Chai checkpoint by the bridge onto the island.…
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Pattaya tourism operators not getting their hopes up over foreign arrivals
Tourism operators in Pattaya are not holding out much hope of a mass return of foreign arrivals in the first few months after re-opening. Pattaya has been chosen as the first non-island location to re-open to vaccinated foreign tourists, but operators fear the constant indecision and changes to regulations will have a negative impact. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri…
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Airlines look to vaccine rollout to restore demand and boost economy
Airlines are pinning their hopes on Thailand’s vaccine rollout as the key to restoring traveller confidence and boosting the economy. All eyes are on Phuket in particular, to see how the much-discussed sandbox re-opening fares. Wutthiphum Jurangkool, chief executive of Nok Air, says June has already seen a slight increase in bookings. “After passenger traffic recorded a whopping 90% decrease…
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300 tourism businesses given SHA Plus certification in Phuket
Part of the much-debated Phuket Sandbox reopening is guests must stay in SHA Plus-certified hotels, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just gave certification for more than 300 tourism-related businesses on the island. The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus Certificate was presented to the businesses yesterday, and those establishments will now display the SHA Plus logo, assuring international…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 2,804 new infections and 18 Covid-related deaths
The Thai public health department has announced another 18 Covid-related deaths and 2,804 new infections. 409 of today’s cases come from the prison system. The numbers coming out of the public health department, and announced each morning at around 11.30am by a CCSA spokesperson, have been statistically similar for the past 2 months, with the exception of the cases coming…
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Pattaya October reopening hampered by obstacles
Pattaya has been working on its reopening plan, aiming to bring back international tourism in the fourth quarter of 2021. Officials have launched the “Pattaya, Move on” scheme which aims to open back up the popular tourist city in October, but the Public Health Ministry disagrees with their plan so far. The goal is to reopen Pattaya without the need…
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UPDATE: Tourism Minister reportedly says July 1 ‘sandbox’ won’t happen
UPDATE By the conclusion of a meeting in Phuket this afternoon the only confirmation was that the July 1 date for a re-opening of Thailand, via the Phuket sandbox was “still on”, according to Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com who attended the meeting. More details when they emerge. Bottomline, nothing is confirmed until the Thai Cabinet discusses the issue, probably Tuesday,…
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Koh Samui eyes August 1 reopening, “Samui Sealed Route”
While Phuket’s July 1 reopening is hotly debated, Koh Samui has been quietly vaccinating its population and putting together plans to welcome tourists back, proposing an August 1 reopening. The proposal aims to ease Koh Samui and neighbouring islands Koh Phangan and Koh Tao back into tourism, potentially as a second stop for travellers arriving into Phuket with their Sandbox…
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Property market in tourism areas relying on vaccines for recovery
Tourism destinations in Thailand are pinning their hopes on Covid-19 vaccines to revive their decimated economies, including in the real estate sector. Vichai Viratkapan from the Real Estate Information Centre says the property sector’s recovery will be driven by the rollout of vaccines, particularly in tourist destinations that have borne the brunt of the economic devastation. “Tourism destinations like Phuket,…
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14 day Phuket stay cuts predicted sandbox arrivals in half
The Tourism and Sports Ministry admitted today that the last-minute change in Phuket Sandbox Plan before being submitted to the government for approval from 7 days to 14 days required in Phuket for all arrivals will likely decrease by half the number of travellers who come. Extending the time required in Phuket before being allowed to travel throughout Thailand has…
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South Korea looks into travel bubble agreement with Thailand
South Korea could soon open its borders to fully vaccinated people travelling from Thailand. The country is looking into travel bubble agreements with Thailand as well as Singapore, Taiwan, Guam and Saipan, according to the South Korean Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry. Quarantine-free travel could start as early as next month. Under the travel bubble scheme, travellers who are fully…
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Phuket governor asks for funds for tourist tracking app
We’re not sure of the exact date when the Phuket sandbox idea was born, but we’re pretty sure the Thaiger had fewer grey hairs and definitely fewer wrinkles back then. What’s certain is that there has been a lot – a lot – of talk about Phuket’s July 1 re-opening and how exactly it will work. Rules have been introduced,…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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Thai travel agents say ongoing third wave means no return of Chinese tourists for now
The Association of Thai Travel Agents says the ongoing reporting of over 2,000 new Covid-19 infections every day means there will be no Chinese visitors coming for a while. ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn points out that China has imposed tough restrictions on their citizens leaving the country, including mandatory quarantine on their return. “We can assume the Chinese government will…
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As the clock ticks down, Phuket’s sandbox plan moves a step closer to approval
The Thai PM says the cabinet has agreed in principle to the Phuket sandbox scheme, which will see the southern island re-open to vaccinated tourists from July 1. Quarantine will be waived for fully vaccinated international arrivals from a yet-to-be-determined list of “safe” countries. However, they will have to spend 14 days on the island before being allowed to travel…
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Koh Samui set to reopen on July 1, 50% of residents vaccinated so far
Koh Samui is hoping to also reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1. At this stage it’s a proposal that will need to be approved by the CESA and CCSA. So far, 57,000 residents on the popular Gulf of Thailand island have been vaccinated, making up 50% of the population on Koh Samui, according to the president of the…
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Confidence low in Phuket as sandbox hopes marred by rules and restrictions
As Phuket prepares for its July 1 re-opening to vaccinated holidaymakers, tourism operators on the southern island aren’t quite jumping up and down with excitement. The much-discussed sandbox scheme comes with some tough rules and restrictions that some fear will put people off visiting. Top of the list is the requirement to stay on the island for a minimum of…
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Tourism operators pinning hopes on vaccine rollout
Thailand’s tourism operators are pinning all their hopes on the national vaccine rollout, which kicks off today. However, the government’s reputation for vaccine procurement and management has come in for sharp criticism and confidence is not high. Already, a number of provinces have had to postpone their vaccine rollouts after receiving an insufficient number of doses from the Public Health…
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Thai Airways to fly 5 Phuket routes to Europe
With several airlines in the Middle East announcing July 1 reopenings of flights to Phuket, Thai Airways has finally announced plans to fly in and out of the island from Europe. As the Phuket Sandbox plan climbs closer and closer to being officially approved, airlines are scheduling flights. Now Thai Airways has announced direct flights from 5 European cities beginning…
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Tourism program adds a plus
This weekend, the Phuket government announced a program whereby businesses can now flout their relative vaccinated status to customers with a certificate with a literal plus. The Amazing Thailand SHA Plus certification is reached via an online registration from the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration aka SHA. The government has urged all businesses and venues that are 70% inoculated…
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TAT and Tourism Ministry push for domestic tourism in Phuket
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is partnering with the Tourism and Sports Ministry to build confidence and boost domestic travel to Phuket as it reopens to international tourism next month. They hope to give Phuket a much-needed boom by attracting local travellers as well as fully vaccinated international passengers. Aiming to get domestic travel up and running in August, the…
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PM to chair meeting on Thailand’s re-opening as Phuket officials demand clarity
The Centre for Economic Situation Administration will today discuss plans for the revival of Thailand’s tourism sector at a virtual meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. Attendees will discuss a future quarantine-free re-opening of 10 provinces considered popular tourist destinations: Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Chon Buri, Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Buriram. While Phuket is…
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