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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  • Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox

    Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox

    Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. Operators are also asking for a sandbox programme for Samui, demanding to know why this is currently limited to Phuket only. According to a Pattaya News report, operators have cited multiple cancellations of hotel bookings from foreign tourists who had…

  • DHS offers car travel tips for Covid-19 safety for New Year’s

    DHS offers car travel tips for Covid-19 safety for New Year’s

    A list of car travel tips has just been released by the Department of Health Services to encourage people to be conscientious of Covid-19 safety during the New Year’s holiday. The department put out the list as highly-transmissible Omicron variant infections spread across Thailand in an effort to get people to exercise caution against the virus, though some of the…

  • Tourist Police launch “New Year New Normal 2022” campaign

    Tourist Police launch “New Year New Normal 2022” campaign

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand has a never-ending cavalcade of exciting new promotion plans to attract top travellers to the country. Now the Tourist Police Bureau is getting in on the act, launching “New Year New Normal 2022” focused on highlighting travel safety in Thailand. The plan will include more personnel on duty to assist any travellers in need, as…

  • TUI Nordic continue their European flights into Phuket

    TUI Nordic continue their European flights into Phuket

    Yesterday it was reported that Europe’s largest travel firm TUI Nordic announced it had cancelled scheduled chartered flights to Phuket from December to April next year. The Thaiger has since been contacted by TUI Nordic to say that the information, originally published by The Nation, was incorrect. European travel giant TUI, with their headquarters in Sweden, have now confirmed that…

  • Phuket prepares to welcome Andrea Bocelli, attendees need negative Covid test

    Phuket prepares to welcome Andrea Bocelli, attendees need negative Covid test

    The southern island of Phuket is getting ready to welcome renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who will help to ring in 2022 at the Saphan Hin public park. According to a Bangkok Post report, tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the island’s New Year countdown event will go ahead under strict disease prevention measures. All attendees will need to show proof…

  • New Year glass half-empty for TAT due to Omicron variant

    New Year glass half-empty for TAT due to Omicron variant

    The normally optimistic Tourism Authority of Thailand is feeling slightly more downbeat amid concerns about a potential Omicron outbreak. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says the threat of another Covid-19 outbreak is affecting travel sentiment. According to a Bangkok Post report, he expects New Year travel to generate just 8.04 billion baht in domestic tourism revenue. “Concerns over a possible outbreak…

  • Ministry of Tourism survey shows tourists enjoy Thailand in 2021

    Ministry of Tourism survey shows tourists enjoy Thailand in 2021

    Many expats might get complacent with all that Thailand has to offer, and be cynical about whether it’s worth the risk and complexity of coming to Thailand during the Covid-19 pandemic. But a survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that foreign tourists have an overall positive view of travelling in Thailand. In fact, the average ratings…

  • Risk of Covid-19 infection on flights increased due to Omicron

    Risk of Covid-19 infection on flights increased due to Omicron

    As tourism has been gaining traction until the Omicron variant threw a wrench into the works, the CCSA has warned that the chances of catching Covid-19 on flights have increased because of the more transmissible new variant. The warning has been repeated out to Thai people after a statement made by the International Air Transport Association, the global influential organization…

  • Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists

    Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists

    While tourism is still far below the levels of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was showing an uptick before the Omicron variant drove government officials to cancel the Test & Go scheme that avoided any significant quarantine and which brought the vast majority of tourists since launching in November. But while tourism has been tepid, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan,…

  • 8 Christmas gifts to bring back with you after travelling Thailand

    8 Christmas gifts to bring back with you after travelling Thailand

    If you are spending Christmas in Thailand, you may be wondering what to gift to your friends and family, especially as Thailand is a Buddhist nation. Although Christmas festivities and decor are on the rise in the country, it can still be tricky to find a Christmas gift for someone from your travels. Here, we have a list of some…

  • Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    “The permit to arrive in Thailand is the least of the problems for many potential international tourists as airlines around the world have been cancelling services.” Whilst the southern island of Phuket appears to be a winner in the government’s recent, and selective, alterations to its Thailand Pass options, Thailand’s other main tourist hot spot outside Bangkok, Pattaya, has again…

  • The best reasons to celebrate Christmas in The Land of Smiles

    The best reasons to celebrate Christmas in The Land of Smiles

    Whether you live here, or you’re a tourist who fancies spending Christmas away from home for once, there are countless reasons to celebrate the holiday season in Thailand. Now that the country has re-opened to vaccinated foreign tourists, we round up the best reasons to visit the Land of Smiles at Christmas time. The Weather For many, this will be…

  • Business leaders urge government to include Pattaya in sandbox entry scheme

    Business leaders urge government to include Pattaya in sandbox entry scheme

    Business leaders in Pattaya have joined a chorus of tourism operators around the country who are pleading to be included in the sandbox scheme. Businesses are expressing despair and frustration since the government suspended the Test & Go entry scheme citing concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Pattaya News reports that members of the Chamber of Commerce and Board…

  • Hotel operators blame government’s faulty tracking apps for Israeli tourist escape

    Hotel operators blame government’s faulty tracking apps for Israeli tourist escape

    The recent case of an Israeli tourist who fled his hotel before he’d received the results of his PCR test can be blamed on faulty tracking apps. So says Angkana Tanetvisetkul from Phuket’s Kata Karon Hotel Association. According to a Bangkok Post report, she believes the current entry requirements involve too many apps that don’t work together – sometimes they…

  • Escaped Israeli officially cleared of Covid-19, now faces prosecution

    Escaped Israeli officially cleared of Covid-19, now faces prosecution

    The good news is: you don’t have Covid-19. The bad news: you’re being sent to police custody. In the most recent twist to the case of an Israeli tourist who entered Thailand on Friday and snuck off before receiving his Covid-19 test only to be diagnosed with Omicron as a nationwide manhunt ensued, the man has now been determined to…

  • Civil Aviation Authority notifies airlines of new regulations for entering Thailand

    Civil Aviation Authority notifies airlines of new regulations for entering Thailand

    A notice from Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority has been issued to airlines to advise them of the new conditions for entering the kingdom. The move follows the suspension of the Test & Go system and all sandbox schemes with the exception of Phuket’s. The government took the decision to suspend the schemes as a result of the recently emerged Omicron…

  • Thailand’s tourist provinces plead to be included in sandbox scheme

    Thailand’s tourist provinces plead to be included in sandbox scheme

    While Thailand’s Test & Go entry system is suspended, foreign tourists can only enter the kingdom through alternative quarantine or the Phuket sandbox scheme. Now, tourism operators in other parts of the country are urging the government to include their provinces in the sandbox programme. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri Tourism Council says destinations that are within a 2-hour…

  • Phuket City Mayor says culture and security will attract tourists

    Phuket City Mayor says culture and security will attract tourists

    While scores of tourists and potential Thailand travellers (including The Thaiger readers) have been vocal that tourism for major Thai destinations like Phuket won’t really rebound until entertainment venues are reopened and booze is allowed to flow freely, the Mayor of Phuket has some other ideas. Phuket City Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas says that the way to bring Phuket back to…

  • Tourism operators express frustration over rumours Test & Go may be dropped

    Tourism operators express frustration over rumours Test & Go may be dropped

    Thailand’s tourism operators have expressed frustration and concern over the possibility that the Test & Go entry scheme could be scrapped. However, Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand has rushed to reassure them, pointing out that nothing has been decided yet and that all viewpoints will be taken into consideration. “We still have to hear from the CCSA…

  • Thailand expected to review list of countries eligible for “Test & Go” scheme

    Thailand expected to review list of countries eligible for “Test & Go” scheme

    The Thai government is expected to review the list of countries eligible for the Test & Go entry scheme, as concerns over the Omicron variant mount. Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says Covid-19 screening will be intensified and the list of eligible countries will be revised. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA is expected to identify a number…

  • Bangkok street food vendors welcome return of tourists to Khao San Road

    Bangkok street food vendors welcome return of tourists to Khao San Road

    Street sellers on Bangkok’s Khao San Road are celebrating the welcome return of foreign tourists and say life is finally beginning to return to normal. The Bangkok Post has spoken to a number of tourists and the street food vendors serving them. 51 year old Wan Suripar is one of them and she hopes this is the beginning of the…

  • British Airways cancels over 2,000 flights including Bangkok

    British Airways cancels over 2,000 flights including Bangkok

    In the face of the spread of Covid-19 as infections surge in the UK, British Airways have suspended all their flights travelling to Bangkok until October of next year. Rumours began circulating about the possible cancellation earlier this week with popular travel sites speculating about the major airline suspending the route. Many passengers told stories of receiving cancellation notices from…

  • TAT planning A-to-Z tourism campaign with social influencers

    TAT planning A-to-Z tourism campaign with social influencers

    “Amazing New Chapters: From A-to-Z Thailand has it all” is the new brainchild from the Tourism Authority of Thailand that aims to use influencers to attract people to Thailand. Like the 26 letters of the alphabet, the TAT hopes to sign up 26 influencers, both regional and global, in an attempt to reach 26 million travellers around the world. The…

  • “Tourist Police i lert u” mobile app launched to help tourists quickly

    “Tourist Police i lert u” mobile app launched to help tourists quickly

    “Tourist Police i lert u” is a new mobile app launched yesterday to allow tourists quick access to emergency response and general assistance. The app was launched by the Tourist Police as a means to improve safety by providing easy access to help when needed. The app comes at the same time as the Ministry of Tourism launched a tourism…

  • Thailand launches new tourism portal to make visiting the Land of Smiles easier

    Thailand launches new tourism portal to make visiting the Land of Smiles easier

    The Tourism Ministry has launched a new online portal it hopes will make visiting Thailand easier for the 8 – 15 million tourists currently expected next year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the website, called Entry Thailand, has been allocated a budget of 49.6 million baht for its first phase. The portal lists the information and documents travellers need…

  • New rules for scuba diving boats in Thailand to increase safety

    New rules for scuba diving boats in Thailand to increase safety

    Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Warawut Silpa-archa has introduced new safety measures that ban large commercial scuba diving boats from getting too close to dive sites. The rule would apply to national parks only so far and would require big boats to stay 100 to 200 metres from dives sites. Scuba companies that offer diving by taking many customers…

  • Maya Bay re-opening to go ahead with strict conditions attached

    Maya Bay re-opening to go ahead with strict conditions attached

    The tourist hotspot of Maya Bay, in the southern province of Krabi, will re-open as scheduled on New Year’s Day. However, the re-opening comes with some strict conditions attached. There had been some doubt about whether the re-opening of the beauty spot would go ahead, but Thailand’s prominent marine ecologist, Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat from Kasetsart University, says it’s happening. According…

  • No confirmation on whether January 1 re-opening of Maya Bay can go ahead

    No confirmation on whether January 1 re-opening of Maya Bay can go ahead

    The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says it’s still waiting to hear from the Natural Resources and Environment Minister if the re-opening of Maya Bay can go ahead. The hugely popular tourist draw was expected to re-open from January 1 and Damras Phoprasit from the DNP says he’s already reassured Minister Varawut Silpa-archa that the newly-constructed pier…

  • Holiday travel: Poll finds most don’t have New Year’s plans

    Holiday travel: Poll finds most don’t have New Year’s plans

    A new survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University finds that most people do not have plans to travel over the New Year’s holiday, citing costs and worries of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as the main reason to stay put. The Suan Dusit Poll was conducted from December 6 to December 9 and interviewed 1,304 people across all locations, ages,…

  • Weekend travellers expected to general 5.72 billion baht

    Weekend travellers expected to general 5.72 billion baht

    As we enter a long holiday weekend (the second long weekend in a row), the Tourism Authority of Thailand says 5.72 billion baht is expected to be generated by local tourists. The announcement comes after a TAT survey among domestic travellers about the upcoming weekend and their travel plans. Predictions from the TAT over the past 18 months have been…