Tourism News

Get your daily dose of Tourism News in Thailand with the latest updates on exciting destinations, events, and travel industry developments. We provide relevant and insightful information about Thailand’s diverse travel scene, which includes innovative hospitality trends, cultural experiences, and sustainable tourism practices. Stay informed on various tourism-related matters, including visa policies and major infrastructure projects, to ensure you’re always one step ahead in the vibrant world of travel.

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    5 best restaurants in Sukhumvit with English menu on GrabFood: Tried and tested

    So you’re in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, you want to explore its vibrant food scene and order delivery, but you’re feeling lost in translation? We understand. As an expat living in Thailand, figuring out how to order food delivery can be a...

  • Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province sees large tourism rise in 2022

    Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province saw a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting in 2022, with the number of both domestic and international tourists showing a substantial increase. The province is home to the world-famous, scenic seaside town and district of Hua Hin. The data, released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), reveals an almost five-fold increase…

  • Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights to enter Thailand in coming months

    Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights are set to enter Thailand in the coming months. Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) authorised1,910 flights from China to enter the kingdom, with 671 expected to arrive in February and 970 slated for arrival in March, according to CAAT president Suttipong Kongpool. In addition, the CAAT has received 6,318 flight requests for the period from February…

  • Phuket police can’t catch foreigner stealing tourists’ credit cards for shopping sprees

    A foreign man has made a habit of stealing credit cards from tourists in Phuket, southern Thailand, to go on expensive shopping sprees. He has managed to avoid arrest so far. The same foreign man of unknown nationality is pickpocketing tourists in the Patong area of Phuket and using fake passports to make purchases of expensive items in bulk like…

  • Elephant in Thailand dies after tourists feed it wrong food

    An elephant camp in Koh Chang, eastern Thailand, is warning tourists not to feed elephants food containing chemicals after an elephant died after eating chemically-contaminated bananas. A few weeks ago, a 20 year old male elephant at Kaebai Meechai Elephant Camp in Koh Chang, Trat province, fell ill with flatulence and indigestion after eating food brought in by some tourists,…

  • TAT takes part in major tourism exchange event in India

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) took part in a major tourism exchange event in New Delhi, India last week. TAT participated in South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) for the 14th time, heading up a strong delegation of over 40 tourism suppliers. SATTE, which is India’s largest travel fair, was held from February 9 to 11 2023 at…

  • Remembering the dead – Koh Tao dive master mystery

    Twenty-three years before diving instructor Neil Giblin from Birmingham died on Koh Tao last month, a fellow Brummie diver lost his life there. Giblin is the fifth Koh Tao dive master to die on the island where Ian Jacobs, from Sutton Coldfield, died on January 18, 2000. Jacobs was found at the bottom of a well on the island. Giblin…

  • Take the slow train to monkey city

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is offering trips on a slow train to monkey city, from Bangkok to Lopburi in the Northeast Thailand, on the refurbished Kiha 183 diesel-powered trains from Japan. The trips this weekend and next will cost 599 baht. Only 200 seats will be available each day. The train leaves Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong Railway Station…

  • Seahorse Ferry relaunches Pattaya to Samui route

    After a four-month hiatus, the Seahorse Ferry Company is finally ready to set sail again, resuming its weekly service between Sattahip and Koh Samui from Thursday, February 16. After a temporary pause for essential repairs and maintenance shortly after launching, the ferry is now back in business and ready to welcome passengers on board once again. If you’re planning a…

  • Racing longtail boats collide with Chinese tour boat

    Two longtail boat drivers collided with a tour boat as they raced each other in a canal at Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in the central province of Ratchaburi. Five Chinese tourists on the tour boat sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash. Somphong Nimnuan, the 64-year-old oarsman of the tour boat, told 77 Kaoded news agency that he…

  • Airport arrival counters in Bangkok to be introduced after tourist increase

    The Ministry of Transport intends to increase the number of immigration counters at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok following criticism after a sudden surge in the number of tourists arriving. The Ministry of Transport decided to take action and address the issues faced by travellers at Suvarnabhumi Airport after a number of complaints. More immigration counters will reduce crowding at the…

  • The 4 Traveller Tribes of the next decade

    Travel-tech outfit Amadeus has identified what it calls the four “Traveller Tribes” of the next decade – experientialists, influencers, memory makers and pioneers. According to the Nation, Singapore’s Amadeus examined emerging traits, behaviours, and preferences, to pinpoint what travellers will want a decade from now. Pioneers, more than 40% of all travellers globally and the largest tribe, live fast-paced lives…

  • Starbucks ruins family’s dream holiday to Thailand by overcharging US$4.5k for 2 coffees

    An American couple had to cancel their dream holiday to Thailand after a Tulsa Starbucks outlet charged them almost US$4,500 for two cups of coffee. The US multinational apologised for the mistake and sent them cheques to cover the cost. They bounced! The drama unfolded when the happy couple, Jesse and Deedee O’Dell, and their four kids went shopping at…

  • Thailand to expand major airports to deal with rising tourist numbers

    Thailand is set to expand at least four of its major international airports in response to the predicted return of foreign tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic. Deputy Government Spokeswoman, Traisulee Taisaranakul, announced the plans today. She noted that the expansion is aimed at accommodating predictions made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) of 200 million foreign arrivals by 2031.…

  • Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule

    Thai Airways expects to exit its rehabilitation plan ahead of schedule. The airline is already looking for new aircraft as the recovery in global tourism bolsters earnings. CEO Chai Eamsiri said Thursday that the carrier will be able to leave its court-supervised debt plan “much earlier” than the late-2024 target, according to Bloomberg. The company is also in talks with…

  • Khaosan Road businesses told to cut noise pollution, or else!

    Businesses in the backpacker haven of Khaosan Road have been warned to cut noise pollution otherwise, they will suffer legal consequences, due to complaints received from nearby residents. City Hall says businesses have 15 days to get their houses in order and regulate noise levels, or else! After a gathering that brought together 30 members of the Khaosan Road Business…

  • Ministry of Culture to promote 16 Thai festivals internationally

    Thailand’s Ministry of Culture is taking steps to promote the country’s cultural heritage and boost local economies by promoting 16 Thai festivals internationally. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yupha Taweewattanakitborvon, announced the move as part of the government’s “5F” initiative, which seeks to promote Thai soft power through the food, film, fashion, fighting, and festival industries. The selected festivals represent…

  • ‘Rave for Maddi’ raises £5000 for British woman after balcony fall in Thailand

    A charity fundraising event entitled ‘Rave for Maddi’ held in Coventry, England, raised 200,000 baht (£5000) to help the recovery of the young British woman who fell from a second-floor balcony in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand on New Year’s Eve. A GoFundMe appeal raised over 3 million baht (£73,500) from over 1,400 donors to pay for 21 year old…

  • Thailand’s PM expects more than 30 million foreign tourists this year

    Thailand’s prime minister says he expects the country to see more than 30 million foreign tourists this year. In light of his predictions, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant agencies to facilitate tourists with travel plans and to ensure their safety in the country. According to Reuters, the government initially predicted a smaller number of foreign tourists to arrive this…

  • Thailand’s first ever seaplane airline to launch this summer

    Thailand‘s first-ever seaplane airline ‘Siam Seaplane‘ is preparing to launch this summer to take the kingdom’s tourism industry to the next level. Siam Seaplane has formed partnerships with 60 luxury hotels and resorts, including top brands Intercontinental and Four Seasons. In an interview with AirwaysMag, Chief Business Operator Dennis Keller revealed that the company faced plenty of setbacks during the…

  • Nine Swedish tourists rescued after longtail boat capsizes in Thailand

    Nine Swedish tourists and a Thai boat driver were rescued from the Krabi sea in southern Thailand when their longtail boat capsized near Hong Island on Sunday. At 12.30pm, Chief of Than Bok Khorani National Park Weerasak Srisatchang was informed that a longtail boat carrying “many foreign tourists” capsized in the waters of Koh Hong island in Krabi province. Park…

  • Pattaya records yet another unwanted suicide statistic

    The popular tourist resort of Pattaya recorded yet another unwanted statistic this morning when a man plunged to his death in what some expats somewhat heartlessly refer to as the “Pattaya Flying Club.” The insensitively named Pattaya Flying Club is the term given to troubled foreigners who commit suicide by throwing themselves off a Pattaya hotel balcony and to their…

  • ‘Buy insurance’ urges English tourist who crashed moped through window in Thailand | Thaiger

    ‘Buy insurance’ urges English tourist who crashed moped through window in Thailand

    A young Englishwoman urges tourists to take out travel insurance after crashing a moped through a glass window in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand. Emma Lewis, a 24 year old student from Basingstoke in Hampshire, was en route to go snorkelling on the island paradise when she lost control and crashed into a house window. The glass shattered around her…

  • Chinese tour groups begin landing in Thailand again

    The first direct tour group flights from mainland China to Thailand marked a milestone in the recovery of the Thai tourism industry. One flight landed at Don Mueang International Airport yesterday morning with 40 Chinese tour group members and 90 other travellers. The second landed in the afternoon in Phuket. In total, 13 flights with tour groups from China landed…

  • ‘Tame’ whale shark swims with tourists for 5 hours in eastern Thailand

    A “tame” whale shark swam with tourists for five hours off the coast of Rayong province in eastern Thailand yesterday. Diving instructor Kru Off, from the Toy Boat Tour group, revealed that he took tourists out to Hin Pleng, a popular dive site about 13 nautical miles off the coast. As the tourists were swimming and looking at the coral,…

  • Thai customs end intrusive frisking of designer-brand wearers at airports

    The Thai Customs Department has officially put an end to the embarrassing and intrusive practice of frisking travellers passing through border control with designer-brand items at airports. The department said the searches were a burden for travellers. According to the deputy director of the Customs Department, Phanthong Loykunlanan, the department has abolished frisking tourists to make travel more convenient. However,…

  • American tourists spend more money in Thailand than Europeans, survey says

    American tourists spend more money in Thailand on average than European tourists, according to a survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT). The TCT polled 200 Western tourists about their holiday spending habits during Q4 of last year. On each trip to the kingdom, Americans said they spend 96,269 baht on average per person (US$2,887) and Europeans said…

  • Russian plane engine catches fire on Phuket runway

    A Russian tourist plane bound for Moscow faced a terrifying moment when its engine caught fire before takeoff at Phuket International Airport. The 309 passengers and 12 crew on board the 26 year old Boeing 767-306ER, operated by Azur Air, were forced to evacuate the aircraft. Footage from the scene shows flames bursting from the right engine of the Russian…

  • South Thailand’s hotel industry booming with increased tourist arrivals

    South Thailand is seeing a resurgence in tourism, with room bookings in hotels reaching 85%, according to Sueksit Suwandissakun, the president of the Southern Hotel Association. This is a positive sign for the industry, which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year. Many hotels in popular tourist areas are already fully booked, with the majority of…

  • Bangkok’s New Chinatown comes back to life as Chinese tourists flock back

    Bangkok‘s New Chinatown is once again buzzing with life as Chinese tourists flock back to the bustling neighbourhood after a two-year lull due to the pandemic. Stretching from Huai Khwang intersection to Pracha Uthit Road, New Chinatown (not to be confused with the original Chinatown in the Yaowarat area) is a hub of activity with eateries, shops, and street stalls…

  • Thai police return 6.5 million baht Richard Mille watch to Vietnamese tourist

    Not all Thai police are bad eggs as proven by Lumpini Police officers who managed to reunite a Vietnamese tourist with an expensive Richard Mille wristwatch that he lost in Bangkok on Wednesday night. A Vietnamese tourist took a taxi from a hotel in the Lumpini area of Bangkok to Asiatique on the river. Later on, he ordered a private…