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 Experience the best of Sriracha and Koh Si Chang with Novotel
The beautiful but often overlooked Sriracha and Koh Si Chang are calling for you to indulge in a quick seaside getaway – and we suggest answering! Located just a 2-hour drive from Bangkok, Sriracha is the perfect escape offering a...
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TAT Governor predicts 10% revenue rise in 2020
PHOTO: Daily News Yuthasak Suphasorn, governor of Thailand’s Tourism Authority (TAT), says he’s expecting a 10% rise in tourist revenue in 2020 despite global economic uncertainty and a statistical drop in tourism around the country in Q2 of this year. According to Daily News, he confidently predicted that tourists would into Thailand keeping the country in the top 6 of…
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American Airlines inks deal with Cathay Dragonair for more destinations in SE Asia
American Airlines says they now have a new deal with Hong Kong-based Cathay Dragon Airlines allowing US fliers access to South East Asian hot spots such as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Da Nang and Dhaka, Bangladesh. American’s network also will have more frequent flights to Penang, KL and Hanoi. The deal is said to strengthen American and Oneworld’s ties to Asia, the…
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Indian tourists filling the gap as Chinese eschew Thailand
PHOTO: The Vijitt Resort, Rawai, Phuket Thailand’s currently patchy tourism industry, down but not out, is getting some interim support from visitors from the population colossus to its west, India. The new arrivals are filling in the gap, not quite a gaping hole as yet, of bumper arrivals from China. At a beachfront hotel on Phuket’s south west coast, the occupancy…
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Green Island – Thailand’s fully self-sufficient tropical paradise
For those wishing to escape the hectic life, spend a peaceful getaway in the embrace of Thai nature, and take lungfuls of pure air at a place unknown to most tourists, Pha Luai Island is an ideal destination. With a population of only 180 households and situated in Surat Thani’s Ang Thong Islands Marine National Park, just a stone’s throw…
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OPINION: Thailand – Land of false smiles
by Pete Downing, Guest Contributor Every year for the past eight years we have saved and come to Phuket for minimum of a week. More often than not we bring other members of our family, anywhere from four to six at a time, and every time bringing empty cases with a 30kg allowance per person and filling those cases each…
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Airbnb estimates direct economic impact in Thailand exceeds 33.8 billion baht
• 80 percent of local Airbnb hosts saying they recommend restaurants and cafes to guests • Airbnb guests saying that 46% of their spending occurs in the neighbourhood where they stay. According to new survey findings and an analysis of internal data released today, Airbnb’s host and guest community generated over 33.8 billion baht in estimated direct economic impact in…
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TAT reach out to the NY Pride March to attract more LGBT tourists to Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is reaching out to the US LGBT community to help broaden Thailand’s tourism base and attract more travellers. The TAT sent a contingent to New York’s annual pride parade, held on World Pride Day, to lure more tourists to the Kingdom. The parade was held last Sunday. TAT are using the branding “Go Thai Be…
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British expat catches world’s biggest carp in Thailand
PHOTO: Bournemouth News 42 year old John Harvey from the UK has caught a fish that was THAT big! The world’s largest carp was a Siamese carp weighing 232lbs (105 kilograms). It beats the old record by 10lbs (4.5 kilograms). John was fishing at the Palm Tree Lagoon at Chedi Hak, just west of Bangkok. The property investor from the UK…
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The Thai Baht in 2022 – a prediction
Please note: This is just ONE website’s predictions of the currencies in the future. It should not be taken as a serious representation of the state of the world currencies in 2022. Trying to find a few good numbers amid the bad we thought we’d look forward three years to some of the world’s major currencies and their projected performance…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand downgrades revenue from tourism in 2019
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is being forced to revise down its tourism revenue growth projections for 2019, but they’ve only cut their projections .5% from 10% growth predicted earlier this year, down to 9.5% growth instead. They still believe that the tourist numbers will settle and will reach 40.2 million for this year but this is down from their…
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Thai authorities moot compulsory travel insurance for travellers
PHOTO: South East Asia Backpacker Magazine The Thai Office of the Insurance Commission says they expect to introduce compulsory travel insurance for visitors to Thailand by the end of 2019. It would be charged to tourists who arrive without travel insurance and go into a ‘fund’ to be used to pay for repatriation costs in the event of misadventure. The…
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British travellers to Thailand make more insurance claims than any other country
According to a survey, the ‘Travel Smart Insurance Index’ recently released by the UK Post Office, more British travellers to Thailand made insurance claims for medical costs of repatriation after visiting Thailand than any other country. According to the report, the Post Office teamed up with the Centre for Economic & Business Research and analysed 17,295 claims from its Travel…
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Phuket’s tourist evolution – Diversity is the best option Part 2
by Guest Writer Our guest writer has been managing resorts around Phuket for two decades and has represented his brand at international expos along with promotions for Phuket over the years. His knowledge is first-hand and steeped in local experience. He has asked to remain anonymous. Read Part 1 of the report HERE. In Part 1 of the article we…
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TAT chief blames high baht for drop in tourists to Thailand
Thailand’s tourism numbers have been dropping over the past three months, against projections and when compared to year-on-year figures. And the blame game has started. TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) chief Yuthasak Suphasorn is blaming the high value of the Thai baht for the worse than expected tourist figures. He admits that European visitors are being more careful over their money and…
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Thailand tops the poll for countries offering travellers the ‘host’ factor
“The perfect destination for travellers seeking to experience a warm welcome and immerse themselves in the local culture.” A recent poll by booking.com across 29 countries has found Thai people to be among the top nationalities who consider their country to be more hospitable than others. Thailand, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan and India, are the top five countries where…
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Thai government announces hotel license amnesty
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com In a significant move by Thailand’s government, a hotel licensing amnesty program has been announced on a nationwide basis. Clearly pressure by hotel owners amidst an large-scale influx of non-licensed accommodation has spurred the action. Leading international legal advisors Baker McKenzie Thailand have issued an information alert on the program which we are publishing in full,…
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Suvarnabhumi’s ‘fast track’ scam exposed – AoT crackdown on Thailand’s biggest airport
After allegations of massive fraud in the use of Thailand’s largest airport’s Premium Lanes at immigration, Airports of Thailand (AoT) are cracking down on the use of the so-called ‘fast lanes’ and the hawkers profiting from the reselling of the service. Only first and business class passengers, plus passengers with special needs, will be permitted to use the Premium Lane…
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Unregistered hotels and lodgings told to get their paperwork in order, or close down
At least 5,000 of the country’s estimated 23,000 unregistered small hotels are expected to get their paperwork in order. The rush to action follows the announcement by the current government to register and comply with the Hotel Act, or be closed down. Most of Thailand’s busy tourist spots are rampant with small and illegal lodgings for tourists. Whilst the growth…
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Myth: Strong baht deterring western tourists to Thailand
The rise and rise of the Thai Baht, and it’s pushing through the 31.05 to the US Dollar barrier on Wednesday, tops off a turbulent decade of movement against some of the western currencies. The decade’s currency rise has also been matched by a meteoric explosion in tourism pushing Thailand into the top ten list of popular tourist locations in…
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Thailand’s Ayutthaya Elephant Palace says they will fight eviction orders
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, an elephant ride business at the Ayutthaya Historic Park north of Bangkok, says it will fight an order to leave the park. The business manager for the company, Ittiphan Khaolamai says the attraction is ‘nationally recognised’. “We will petition the Central Administrative Court next week. We can’t accept the order requiring us to…
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Ayutthaya Elephant Palace to be relocated for park make-over
Ayutthaya Historical Park has sent a notice to the popular Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, located on Pa Ton road, to vacate the area within 30 days to allow for improvements of the park’s landscape. The elephants, keepers and mahouts are still providing services to tourists visiting the park. Laithongrient Meephan, owner of the Elephant Palace, told Thai PBS that he is…
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How many tourists visit the real Thailand?
PHOTO: Sarah Lazarus – CNN Thailand is best known for its beaches, astonishing street food, markets and diverse south-east Asian culture. But how many people get out of the cities and tourist traps and get to experience the real Thailand? How many expats, living in Thailand, even get to experience the real Thailand? Thailand is the fourth most popular holiday…
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Investigation launched into tiger chained at Phuket Zoo – VIDEO
PHOTOS: DNP VIDEO – I Am A Tiger Advocate Officials are conducting a full investigation after a video clip of a tiger chained at Phuket Zoo on social media claimed that the tiger had been drugged for photos with the public. Phuket officials today have inspected the Phuket Zoo after several social media complaints that the tiger was chained and…
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Burasari opens second Phuket hotel on Coconut Island
PHOTO: Original Vision Island Escape by Burasari, the second Phuket hotel from the Thai-based group, will have a soft opening this September. Located on Koh Maphrao (also known as Coconut Island), the initial product will be 15 villas. By December this year, the full inventory of 180 rooms and 40 villas will be operational. With Island Escape, Burasari Group will operate eight…
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Phuket Town – the UNESCO City of Gastronomy reveals some secrets
VIDEO: Thai PBS A UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Phuket Town is a real foodie town. Among their amazing arrays of local delicacies is a variety of tea snacks, many of which are the integral part of their daily life. The delicate and cute and delicious Pang Pia is among the oldest recipes. Phuket Town has gone through several transformations. Once…
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Not everyone is happy with the closure of Thailand’s National Park hot spots
PHOTO: Sunrise Divers Nature happy. Tour operators unhappy. The closure, albeit temporary, of several of Thailand’s favourite marine national parks and coastal sites, is not universally supported. As the country’s tourist growth plateaus, the baht remains strong and hungry tour operators battle for the same tourist dollar, having many of the most popular attractions struck off their tour list is causing…
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Thais outraged by tourist doing yoga poses at historic and sacred sites
PHOTO: Andreita Levin New outrage alert. Doing yoga poses on famous or sacred sites around Thailand will get you into trouble with the authorities. Tourist Police say they’ve caught up with a foreign woman who shared photos on her Instagram account performing yoga exercises at sacred and historic sites around Thailand. “A Mexican yoga teacher from Canada is being criticised…
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Is Airbnb taking over the Thai hotel industry?
Airbnb is posing a less significant threat to hotels in Thailand than expected, but its influence in the longer term should not be underestimated, according to real estate company JLL Offering new alternatives to travellers, Airbnb is certainly taking some of the wind out of the sails of the traditional hotel accommodation model. However, findings from Jone Lang Lasalle (JLL) shows…
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Grab electric tuk tuks launch in Chiang Mai
Grab, the nemesis of the old taxi and red bus network in Chiang Mai, has signed an agreement with government and private sector partners to establish the Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network. It is the first such partnership in South East Asia. Thai aim is to reduce Chiang Mai’s public transport footprint by 35% within the next five years. The…
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Phuket’s new town planning code will radically change island
Thailand’s Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is finalising sweeping new development regulations for Phuket. The island’s MICE industry is expected to be a big winner from the proposed changes (more below). In April the draft regulations were issued for public comment and it is expected the new set of rules will come into effect over the next…
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