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.

  • Stunning natural scenery on newly reopened Krabi islands | Thaiger

    Stunning natural scenery on newly reopened Krabi islands

    Nature looks stunning on several islands in Krabi that reopened on October 15 after being closed for restoration for several months. The Mu Ko Lanta National Park is made up of several islands, which boast breathtaking beaches, waterfalls, and other natural wonders. Since the park reopened, staff have continued conservation efforts. A few days after the reopening, park officials held…

  • Ride a ‘floating train’ from Bangkok to the biggest reservoir in Thailand | Thaiger

    Ride a ‘floating train’ from Bangkok to the biggest reservoir in Thailand

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) invites you to ride the ‘floating train‘ from Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok to Pa Sak Jolasid Dam – Thailand’s biggest reservoir – in Lop Buri province. The rot fai loi nam (train floating on water) will run every Saturday and Sunday for three months, starting on November 5. The train (no.921) will leave Bangkok…

  • Thai province to welcome scenic golden flowers | Thaiger

    Thai province to welcome scenic golden flowers

    Thailand officially entered its winter season on Saturday, and one northern province expects to be covered in scenic golden flowers soon. The “Mexican sunflowers” in Mae Hong Son province’s Khun Yuam district have been known to create stunning scenic views. The golden flowers, known in Thai as Dok Bua Tong, are believed to have been brought to Thailand by Christian…

  • Russian airlines resume direct flights to Phuket | Thaiger

    Russian airlines resume direct flights to Phuket

    Tourism in Phuket got another boost from Russian tourists as the first direct flights from Moscow to Phuket International Airport resumed. The airport expects to see an average of 30,000 arrivals per day in November. Ikar Airlines was the first to arrive from Moscow yesterday afternoon, with a flight from Russian national airline Aeroflot landing later at 9.10pm. Ikar is a…

  • Largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia opens in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia opens in Pattaya

    The largest Indian restaurant in Southeast Asia has opened in Pattaya. The restaurant, named “MumbaiSe,” is located at the Stardice Pub on the Pattaya-Naklua road. The restaurant held its opening ceremony on Saturday night, with many Pattaya officials attending, including Mayor Poramese Ngampiches. The founders are two Indian businessmen who have invested 25 million baht in the restaurant. The restaurant will…

  • Royal Caribbean Cruises to dock weekly in Phuket, Thailand | Thaiger

    Royal Caribbean Cruises to dock weekly in Phuket, Thailand

    Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship docked in Phuket, southern Thailand, for the first time in several years. At an event in Phuket yesterday, Royal Caribbean revealed that the Spectrum would be visiting Phuket once a week in the coming months. Phuket is a ‘core destination’ on Royal Caribbean’s four- to seven-night Southeast Asia cruises,…

  • Koh Samui sees influx of Russian tourism | Thaiger

    Koh Samui sees influx of Russian tourism

    With flights increasing from Russia to Thailand, Koh Samui is seeing an increase in European travellers. The holiday island expects to see a surge in Russian tourism in particular, especially in December to close out the year. Russian tourism has been a big revenue-producing staple of Koh Samui but was stymied by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the Russian invasion…

  • Thailand hits 7 million international tourists | Thaiger

    Thailand hits 7 million international tourists

    Thailand’s tourism has hit another milestone. As of October 26, the kingdom witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark. It’s put the country within its goal range set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) of 7 to 10 million visitors for 2022. The TAT announced that over 7 million tourists have arrived since January 1 in…

  • THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan | Thaiger

    THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan

    Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…

  • Nature lovers seduced by waterfalls at Koh Rok in Krabi | Thaiger

    Nature lovers seduced by waterfalls at Koh Rok in Krabi

    Nature lovers were treated to the rare sight of waterfalls cascading down the mountains at Koh Rok, one of the island groups of Mu Koh Lanta National Park in the southern province of Krabi. It’s a rare sight because it happens only once a year. The Head of Mu Koh Lanta National Park, Chaiyaphruek Weerawong, revealed that two waterfalls flowed…

  • Spiderman spins web to promote Thai tourism | Thaiger

    Spiderman spins web to promote Thai tourism

    A Thai tour guide has found a novel way of attracting tourists into his web of activities – by dressing as Spiderman. But, not only that, Spiderman has recruited a superhero sidekick to help him out – Superman. Kasidet Juthamas aka Spiderman recruited an Australian TikToker, Mitch Muscle Lagos, in a Superman uniform to join him on a rock climbing…

  • Tourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend | Thaiger

    Tourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend

    Tourists flocked to two seafood festivals in Pattaya over the three-day weekend. The Central Pattaya shopping mall held the “Sea Bear” food festival, bringing in income for vendors. There was also a seafood festival at Terminal 21 shopping mall, which saw hundreds of vacationers stopping by, Pattaya Mail reported. The festival had planned to feature street food vendors from across…

  • Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites | Thaiger

    Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites

    Thailand’s recent three-day weekend drew tourists to some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites. Over 10,000 people ventured to Thailand’s highest mountain peak, Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, according to officials there. Tourists visited a number of other natural sites as well. In the western Kanchanaburi province, a tourism business operator said the tourist influx in Sangkhla Buri district over the…

  • Suvarnabhumi Airport calls for more taxis amid surging queues | Thaiger

    Suvarnabhumi Airport calls for more taxis amid surging queues

    While most are elated to see tourism returning to Thailand and international flights picking up, there’s one thing virtually everyone can agree they did not miss: taxi queues. As flight arrivals ramp up, there’s a shortage of available taxis for incoming travellers. Officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport are putting out the call for more taxis to register for pick-ups as the…

  • Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces | Thaiger

    Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces

    The Thai holiday of Loy Krathong is coming up, and tourism officials are planning events in six provinces. Known as Thailand’s festival of lights, Loy Krathong is one of the biggest celebrations on the Thai calendar. This picturesque festival is a time for people to gather around rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts…

  • No chance of parole for Bangkok’s imprisoned gorilla | Thaiger

    No chance of parole for Bangkok’s imprisoned gorilla

    After the latest round of public outcry, authorities claim for the umpteenth time that little can be done about gorilla Bua Noi, 33 years old, confined to a small cell in a Bangkok shopping mall. According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, the owners are free to continue doing as they please with the beast they have kept…

  • Local artists revive Bangkok’s historical waterside | Thaiger

    Local artists revive Bangkok’s historical waterside

    Along Klong Bang Luang – once a busy canal in Bangkok – people are often drawn to a pagoda in the middle of an old teak house, its battered surface is covered in moss and creepers, along with some obvious traces of a bygone era. Formerly part of Kamphaeng Bangchak temple, the pagoda has been the centrepiece of “The Artist’s…

  • Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved | Thaiger

    Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved

    Thai Airways International’s revised business reorganisation plan was approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The plan was submitted last month and the airline will now start on a course of financial restructuring. Does this mean everyone waiting for a refund from the Covid-19 pandemic and before Thailand’s flagship airline declared bankruptcy will finally get their money back? It is reported…

  • This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you | Thaiger

    This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    “We hope to put Pattani on the world tourist map,” tour operator Fareeda Abdullah told Bernama. South Thailand’s Pattani province is not the first place people usually imagine for a holiday getaway. The province often makes headlines for sectarian tensions. But Pattani has an up-and-coming tourism industry. The province boasts breathtaking nature, including a beautiful mangrove forest in the Yarang…

  • Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket | Thaiger

    Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Are later closing times finally coming to Phuket? Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to test a 4am closing time on several tourist hotspots, including Phuket’s Bang La Walking Street in Patong, Nation Thailand reported. The ministry will soon seek approval from the Thai Cabinet for the pilot project there, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday. Other…

  • China Southern Airlines ready for Bangkok takeoff | Thaiger

    China Southern Airlines ready for Bangkok takeoff

    News breaking yesterday that China Southern Airlines is planning to resume flights to Bangkok signals more good news for the Thailand tourism industry aiming to attract another 12 million foreign travellers before the end of the year. In 2019 more than 12 million Chinese tourists travelled to Thailand, making up one-quarter of the kingdom’s foreign arrivals. There had been a…

  • Tourism operators demand cheaper flights to Phuket | Thaiger

    Tourism operators demand cheaper flights to Phuket

    Phuket tourism operators are demanding that airlines cut ticket prices to make the island destination more financially attractive. As Chinese tourists are largely missing from the Phuket tourism market, operators are worried that travelling to the island is being seen as too expensive. According to The Bangkok Post, Chinese tourists accounted for 40% of the Phuket tourism market before the…

  • Thai tourism industry wants 5 billion baht handout to draw tourists | Thaiger

    Thai tourism industry wants 5 billion baht handout to draw tourists

    The Thai tourism industry is asking for a five billion baht handout to boost tourism and draw 12 million foreign tourists to Thailand by the end of this year. The President of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Chamnarn Sisawat, revealed yesterday that the council and other 11 tourist associations organised by the private sector will meet PM Prayut Chan-o-cha tomorrow to…

  • ‘Pay for a pool villa in Phuket instead of paying the energy bills’ this winter, advises Thai official | Thaiger

    ‘Pay for a pool villa in Phuket instead of paying the energy bills’ this winter, advises Thai official

    Instead of wasting money on high energy bills this winter, Westerners should turn off the heating and spend their money in Thailand instead, advises the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). With wholesale gas and electricity prices rocketing in Europe TAT’s invitation makes sense. In the UK, the average household is about £2,500 a year, up from £1,400 in October 2021.…

  • Infamous Tham Luang caves reopened after monsoon season | Thaiger

    Infamous Tham Luang caves reopened after monsoon season

    Tham Luang caves, where 12 boys and their football coach were dramatically rescued in 2018, reopened to the public today. The site had been closed since July 1 to weather the monsoon season. In late June 2018, a young football team exploring the caves became trapped when heavy storms brought flash floods that filled the cave with water. The caves…

  • Iceland considers a consulate in Phuket | Thaiger

    Iceland considers a consulate in Phuket

    Iceland is considering opening a consulate in Thailand on the island of Phuket. Currently, there are two Honorary Consuls of Iceland in Thailand, both based in Bangkok. But the European island nation sent their ambassador from China to discuss the possibilities of a consulate with Phuket authorities. The Icelandic ambassador from the Embassy of Iceland in Beijing was in Phuket…

  • Thailand expects tourism boom over October holidays | Thaiger

    Thailand expects tourism boom over October holidays

    Tourism officials say they are expecting to see more than three million travellers over this month’s two holiday periods. The four-day anniversary holiday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great’s passing started on Thursday. Both Thais and foreigners have taken off to major tourist destinations around the kingdom. The other holiday from October 22-24, is expected to also see…

  • ‘Until the pots are dry’ – where 10 baht dishes rule the menu | Thaiger

    ‘Until the pots are dry’ – where 10 baht dishes rule the menu

    In Chiang Mai, a tiny eatery specialising in 10 baht dishes is attracting shuffling lines of rumbling stomachs in the Chang Pueak area. “And it’s delicious,” said a regular who seemed very happy to stand in a long queue of hungry patrons. Open for just a fortnight, Khao Gang Khun Yai on Photharam-Jet Yod Road, is cooking up quite a…

  • Philippine Airlines takes off to Bangkok | Thaiger

    Philippine Airlines takes off to Bangkok

    Philippine Airlines (PAL) today announced it will reintroduce direct flights between Cebu City and Thailand’s capital city Bangkok in December. The Philippine flag carrier made public it is to introduce a twice-weekly service, operating on Monday and Friday, which will depart from Cebu in the morning of December 9 and depart from Bangkok in the early afternoon. PAL previously operated…

  • Pockets jangling – 1,500-baht weekend in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Pockets jangling – 1,500-baht weekend in Bangkok

    Is Bangkok ready for the descent of an aircraft filled with penny-pinching Japanese tourists intent on eating out of the 7-Eleven and sleeping under bridges? Perhaps. Japanese travel site Soranews today sets out how tourists can spend a weekend in Bangkok for a “mere” 50,000 yen (US$340, 12,900 baht), which, from the parsimonious point of view and salary grade of…