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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Sponsored Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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9 of Thailand’s restaurants ranked on “Asia’s 50 Best” list, all in Bangkok
“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” has included nine restaurants in Thailand on its 2022 list. The Thai restaurants featured on the list are located in Bangkok. While some of the restaurants serve traditional Thai cuisine, others serve international flavors, as well as fusion dishes. One restaurant, Le Du, serves Thai food with a French twist. Le Du ranks number 4 of…
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No pre-travel PCR test for travellers entering Thailand starting today
Starting today, travellers entering Thailand will no longer need to take a PCR Covid-19 test before their flight, but visitors will still need to take a PCR test once they land. All travellers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – no longer need to take the pre-departure test, but requirements after entry vary depending on the scheme. And there are still some…
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Pattaya fireworks festival named 1 of 3 top Asian marine festivals
The International Festival and Event Association of Asia has named the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival one of three “major marine tourism festivals in Asia”. Pattaya’s city manager said yesterday that almost 20 countries participated in the international firework competition. The Pattaya festival was then selected for the final round. The festival is held every year in Pattaya, usually later in…
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80% of domestic tourists cancel Songkran trip due to Covid fears, financial woes
More than 80% of domestic tourists in Thailand have cancelled their trips for Songkran, the Thai New Year, due to the spread of Omicron or financial issues during the pandemic, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. A tourism official says the government should launch more measures to promote domestic tourism. Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15 and…
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BMA and CCSA will meet Monday, decide on Songkran water splashing in Bangkok
Thailand’s CCSA and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will meet on Monday to decide (again) if Bangkokians can splash water during Songkran. This news comes after officials announced last week that Songkran will be dry, for both alcohol and water splashing, for the third year in a row. That week, Thai officials said only traditional Songkran activities would be allowed. This…
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Thailand, a yacht racing destination
It all started in 1986 when a select group from the elite Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) got together and decided to launch a regatta in Phuket in 1987 – as a special tribute for the 60th birthday of the then King of Thailand, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thus the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (PKCR) was born. Royally connected…
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To splash or not to splash? Bangkok mulls Songkran parties on Khao San Road, after tourism industry rebuke
Fret not, splash happy expats. The tourism industry is fighting for your right to a Songkran water fight. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is mulling whether to allow Songkran water splashing festivities to be held on Khao San Road, after the CCSA’s unpopular announcement banning water splashing activities for a third consecutive year sparked much backlash from local businesses last…
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Reward offered for reporting people who spread fake Covid news in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai tourism operators are offering gift vouchers to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of people spreading news about the city’s Covid-19 situation. Concerned that such false accounts could jeopardise Songkran tourism in the northern city, businesses have come together to offer vouchers worth up to 50,000 baht. According to a Nation Thailand report, tourism…
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Thailand cuts quarantine for unvaccinated travellers to 5 days
Starting April 1, the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced to five days. Travellers will also no longer need to take a pre-departure PCR Covid-19 test. The new requirements are pending publication in the Royal Gazette and the official announcement is expected to be published at the end of the month. Unvaccinated travellers can enter…
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Thailand’s tourism operators despair at another lost Songkran
Following the CCSA’s decision to ban water throwing during this year’s Songkran celebrations, tourism operators have been left despairing – for the third year in a row. Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, questions how the government can ban water splashing events on one hand, while, on the other hand, say Covid-19 will be endemic by…
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AirAsia to launch ride-hailing platform in Thailand, expand digital services in Asean
Bangkok ride-hailers can grab a new option next month. AirAsia’s parent holding company Capital A plans to launch its ride-hailing platform in the Thai capital in April, as it continues an aggressive foray into non-aviation businesses after the Malaysian airline suffered significant pandemic-era losses. The new service, dubbed AirAsia Ride, will begin with some 5,000 taxis in Bangkok, before expanding…
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Upcoming seafood festival at Nai Yang Beach this Friday and Saturday, Phuket
Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival will be hosted at Nai Yang Beach this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. The festival will start at 4pm on Friday, and end at 11pm on Saturday, March 25-26. The festival will host over 100 food stands, live ‘Luk Thung’ Thai folk music, and cooking competitions with chili paste and grilled seafood. The…
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Hospitality sector, tourism operators call for entry restrictions to be dropped now
Businesses, particularly those in the tourism and hospitality sectors, say July 1 – the date the government hopes to declare Covid-19 endemic – is too long to wait for restrictions to be lifted. As operators watch what’s happening in neighbouring countries, Thailand’s tourism sector is feeling anxious. According to a Bangkok Post report, Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of…
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Phuket Monopoly launched, not that you’ll recognise many of the squares
Welcome to Phuket and some of the most famous attractions like Utopia, BCIS, BIS, The Nai Harn (hotel), Blue Elephant and The Phuket News. All for sale with your Monopoly money when the game becomes available. Whilst you will see Mai Khao Beach, Phuket Town, Cape Promthep, the Karon Viewpoint and Kata Beach, the new Phuket Monopoly board game, due…
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Plans to scrap pre-departure Covid-19 test requirement still need confirmation
It might soon get a little easier to travel to Thailand. The government plans to scrap the pre-departure Covid-19 test requirements for vaccinated travellers entering the country under the Test & Go and Sandbox schemes. A spokesperson says they are waiting for confirmation. Under the planned revisions, just a PCR Covid-19 test is needed on arrival and a self-administered rapid…
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Pattaya security guards allegedly attack foreign tourist following bill dispute
Security guards at a nightlife complex in central Pattaya are accused of attacking a foreign tourist in a dispute over a bill. The Pattaya News reports that the incident took place around 11.30pm last night at the Tree Town complex, with a 58-year-old man, reportedly Irish, injured in the brawl. For their part, the guards claim the tourist refused to…
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Club Med Phuket reopens after over 2 years
After closing its doors for over two years since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Club Med Phuket is now back in business. The resort reopened yesterday following efforts to clean up the area and bring back tourists. The island province’s Vice Governor Pichet, who attended the reopening, said the reopening should help Phuket’s disheveled tourism economy. “Club Med is known around…
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CCSA meets tomorrow to decide fate of pre-departure PCR test
The requirement for overseas arrivals to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure from their home country could soon be scrapped. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA will discuss dropping the requirement when it meets tomorrow. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says international arrivals would still be required to take a PCR test…
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Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is set to make a proposal to scrap the pre-departure PCR for Test & Go travellers, making entering the country more convenient and cost-efficient. The proposal will need to be approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which will have its general meeting this Friday and is expected to discuss a number of topics, including…
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All Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening
Less than 24 hours after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the first flight into Betong International Airport to chair the opening ceremony, all scheduled flights in and out of the airport have been suspended. At present, it is not possible to book flights in or out of Betong and it is not yet known when flights will resume. The Tourism…
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Province in Western Thailand works to revive tourism in new scheme
The governor of one Western Thai province whose tourism income plummeted this year announced yesterday the need for a “comprehensive strategy” to revive tourism. The province of Prachuap Khiri Khan made 1.85 billion baht in tourism in 2020, but that dropped to 36 million baht in 2021. “We expect travel activities to pick up once Covid-19 is classified as an…
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Phuket tourism official reports low number of calls to Russian, Ukrainian helpline
An official from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office says most Russian and Ukrainian tourists on the southern island appear to be “coping”. Nanthasiri Ronasiri says there have not been that many calls to a hotline set up specifically to help tourists stranded by cancelled flights or facing financial problems as a result of sanctions on Russia. Russia’s invasion…
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Tourism officials in South encouraged by opening of Yala’s Betong Airport
The newly opened Betong Airport, in the southern province of Yala, has inspired hope of a tourism revival in the town. The Bangkok Post reports that the airport received its operating licence from the Aviation Authority of Thailand on January 28. The 920-rai facility can handle up to 300 passengers an hour, or 80,000 a year. The airport is seen…
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Pattaya opens hotline to support stranded Ukrainian and Russian tourists
The Pattaya Tourist Police have launched a hotline to help Ukrainians and Russians facing financial issues or cancelled flights due to the conflict in Ukraine. Tourists and expats in Pattaya can call the hotline number at 1155 or use the application Tourist Police i lert u. Thousands of Russian tourists are stranded in Thailand due to flight cancellations and sanctions…
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Can we say good-riddance to the Thailand Pass on July 1?
OPINION “Hopefully, and essentially, there has to be a radical Thailand Pass-ectomy.” July 1 seems so far away as the rest of the world has moved on and opened up, with many SE Asian destinations also dispensing with many of their Covid-arrival procedures already, or in the next month. Whilst the rest of the world has established new travel lanes…
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Federation of Thai Industries wants gov to scrap Test & Go, stop fuel price crisis
The Federation of Thai Industries has called on Thailand’s government to scrap the Test & Go scheme, and stop the ongoing fuel price crisis. On Thursday, the president of the federation suggested easing Test & Go to support tourism and a recovery for the Thai economy. The FTI suggested that Thailand only require fully vaccinated travellers to show proof of…
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Columbia Pictures Aquaverse water park to open in Chon Buri next month
The new Columbia Pictures Aquaverse water park in Chon Buri is officially opening to the public next month after plans were delayed due to Covid-19. The themes for attractions are based on popular movies and animations like Jumanji, Ghostbusters, and Hotel Transylvania. The water park also offers the world’s first wave pool cinema, allowing guests to watch movies on a…
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End in sight for Thailand Pass once Covid-19 declared endemic – TAT
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says tourism numbers may need to be revised down due to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which includes surging oil prices and rising inflation. Yuthasak Supasorn adds that entry restrictions will be relaxed in stages as officials move to declaring Covid-19 endemic. Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry…
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Phuket welcomes first group of Test & Go tourists travelling by sea
Phuket welcomed its first group of Test & Go travellers entering the island province by sea and tourism officials say more visitors travelling on cruise ships and yachts will be entering under the quarantine exemption scheme. On March 1, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration eased travel restrictions, allowing Test & Go travellers to enter Thailand by land and sea,…
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Will Songkran be wet or dry? CCSA to discuss restrictions on March 18
The question of whether or not to allow massive water fights to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year, will be discussed on March 18 at a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. The celebrations with water guns and splashing have been called off for the past two years to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Recently, the Department of Disease Control…
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