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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With World Kindness Day just two days away on November 13, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how empathy and care can make a real impact, not just in our relationships but in our health, too. This day is...
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Phuket 2020 – predictions by Bill Barnett
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com In a series of articles we are pondering what may happen around Thailand over the next twelve months. Bill Barnett is in the ears of the country’s many hotel operators and chains. His consultancy, c9hotelworks.com, shares some perspectives about Thailand’s largest island. All too often I am approached and asked what’s going to happen to Phuket in the…
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Hackers moved the Google location for Phuket’s popular Promthep Cape
A house at the Huay Namthor village in the Muang district of Phuket has been getting some additional visitors since December 31. Tourists, using Google Maps to find the popular attraction of Laem Promthep (Promthep Cape), the southernmost spot of the island, have been ending up 4 kilometres away from their intended destination. The location pin had been moved by…
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Vietnamese woman arrested using someone else’s passport documents
The Immigration Police have arrested a Vietnamese tourist posing as someone else. Immigration Police at Suvarnabhumi Airport report that on December 31 a foreigner, holding a passport with ID that didn’t look anything like her, tried to check in with the dodgy documents. Officials intervened and apprehended the girl when she was trying to use the passport to check-in with an…
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Thailand set to launch two more budget airlines in 2020
While Thailand’s flagship Thai Airways struggles, two new budget airlines are preparing to take off in 2020. The past decade has been challenging for Thailand’s legacy airline whilst newer, more nimble and cashed-up players enter the market. As reported in The Thaiger last week, both Thai Summer Airways and Thai Eastar Jet have gained Air Operating Licenses from the Civil…
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TAT forecasts a 2.5% increase in tourist numbers for next year
Last week tourist arrivals in Thailand surpassed 38,260,000, the total 2018 arrival number. Now Thailand has broken through the 39 million international tourist barrier, just two days before the end of the year. The 39 millionth tourist was from Russia. 2019 had a shaky start with the arrival of Tropical Storm Pabuk in the first week of the new year.…
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Indian visitors to Thailand help break tourist arrival record
With a few days left to go in 2019, Thailand has already stepped over last year’s record arrivals of 38,260,000. The 38,260,000th visitor to Thailand in 2019 arrived on December 20, a tourist from India, Devanshi Deepak Kesaria. Thailand has exceeded last year’s record for foreign tourist arrivals. This final result for tourist arrivals into the Kingdom in 2019 will end…
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Asia leads the way in travel technology over next decade
In an industry already heavily “disrupted” by technology, tourism and travel will see even more of the business-side move online. Singapore-based travel booking company Agoda says that single one-stop-shop apps for all travel needs, passport free travel, and mobile app check-in are the top three new travel trends expected by travellers. Their report indicates travellers now expect a lot more from their travel experience…
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Phuket Sky Way cable car will provide tourists with a new view of the island
PHOTOS: Phuket People’s Voice The committee of economy development, bringing together both government and private sectors, has agreed to allow a cable car project on Phuket as the island’s new landmark. It has been revealed that the cable car design is finished and the Environmental Impact Assessment will be commissioned soon. At the moment the working title for the project…
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Where are Thai airbnb customers staying over the holiday period?
Where are the people booking share accomodation staying for the Christmas and New Year period? • Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido are among the top five trending destinations where Thai travellers usher in another year • Seoul is the most-booked overseas destination for Thai travellers on New Year’s Eve • Chiang Mai is the most popular domestic destination for Thai travellers…
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Year-end tourism expected to generate over 80 billion baht
PHOTO: Kudla/Shutterstock The Kasikorn Research Centre says both domestic and foreign tourists in Thailand are expected to generate over 82 billion baht between December 28 and January 5, aka the ‘silly season’. This is traditionally the busiest time for holiday visitors to Thailand. This is up 1.3% year on year, but growth in 2019 is lower than the 7.4% growth…
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Two new airlines to hit Thai skies in 2020
PHOTO: Eastar Airlines Two new Thai low-cost carriers are set to take to the skies early 2020. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand made the announcement yesterday. They are the first new Thai airlines being launched since the lifting of the ‘red flag’ by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in 2017. Thai Eastar Jet and Thai Summer Airways have already…
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Mono airlift remains key barrier to Koh Samui’s tourism success
PHOTO: Koh Samui Sunset Bill Barnett and c9hotelworks.com analyse the current hotel and tourism challenges on Koh Samui. Bill says that in the past year the Gulf island has been shaken by declining demand and reduced airlift to the island. (graphics below) “The China slowdown is widely cited as a key factor, together with high airfares. According to Bangkok Airways, half of…
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Popular UK website canes Mövenpick Resort in Bangtao, Phuket for its use of a baby elephant to entertain guests
A big international social media and entertainment website based in the UK, LADbible.com, which attracts around 18-20 million clicks a month, has caned a Phuket hotel over some photos of guests interacting with a baby elephant. The photos and story was circulated locally last week but has now been picked up by the popular website, spreading the poor publicity for…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand says three websites now provide electronic visa-on-arrival
Visitors from some countries can now apply online for a visa-on-arrival, with the Tourism Authority of Thailand saying they’ve added a third website to the previous two offering the service. Thai Residents reports that citizens of Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Nauru, New Guinea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu can now also apply through www.eVisaThailand.com,…
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Thai tourism officials hire fortune teller (it’s not what you think)
PHOTO: springnews.co.th A celebrity fortune teller has been engaged to promote the “Positive Energy” campaign being run by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote domestic tourism. Spring News reports that the tarot card reader and feng shui master Dr Khatha Chinbanchorn is being engaged as the face of the project to promote “positive energy”, making merit and environmental awareness.…
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Bangkok’s new Silom Road walking street a great success
PHOTO: INN News “Walk, Eat, Taste, and Explore”. And thousands descended on Silom Road to welcome the new walking street destination yesterday. Street performers, crowds and live music transformed Silom Road into Bangkok’s newest walking street yesterday with the first of the new walking street-style markets opening up in Bangkok. There was also another one in Yowarat Road in Chinatown. The…
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Chiang Mai mountains introduce two new camping facilities
PHOTOS: asia.one.com Two new camping grounds are now open and ready to receive visitors in the mountains around Chiang Mai. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says the Sui Tang and Doi Lang camping grounds are now open and ready for customers. The Nation reports that Sui Tang is located in the district of Chai Prakan, at…
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Government plans to lure Chinese tourists back by easing visa procedures
PHOTO: India Post “The scheme is due to run from New Year until Chinese New Year on January 25, into early February.” The Thai Sports and Tourism Minister says the government is planning a range of stimulus measures to increase Chinese visitor numbers and boost Thailand’s currently sluggish tourism sector. Though there hasn’t been any radical drop in numbers, the…
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Russian tourist bitten by a monkey on To Sae Hill, Phuket town
PHOTOS: Phuket Hotnews On December 10, a report emerged that a tourist had been bitten by a monkey on the popular To Sae Hill viewpoint in Phuket Town. The video shared on social media shows that the man was bleeding a lot from his arm before another man helped attend to the wound to stop the blood. A volunteer who…
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Phuket’s high season delayed until after Christmas
PHOTO: The Hotel Specialist “Diversifying Phuket’s market to rely less on Chinese tourists is key to improving tourism in the province.” It will be a quiet Christmas in Phuket as the island’s high season will come late for hotels this year, with most reservations are for after the Christmas celebration. Tourism in Phuket usually increases in November, but this year’s November…
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You introduce new visa requirements? We don’t send any tours.” – Taiwan
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times “This is not the first time the Thailand Trade and Economic Office has come under fire for enforcing unpopular policies that were introduced without a lot of thought.” It’s now emerged that the proposed requirement for Taiwanese tourists to submit financial statements to obtain a Thai visa happened after the Travel Agents Association of Taiwan threatened to…
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Thailand delays introduction of new visa requirements for Taiwanese tourists
…and other proposed nationalities as well. Thailand has decided to postpone the requirement for Taiwanese travellers to present financial statements when applying online for a visa. The Taiwan News is reporting that the new requirements are being delayed until at least March, 2020. The Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei has announced that online Taiwanese applicants for travel to…
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Taiwan challenges Thai government over new visa requirements for their citizens
The Taiwanese government says it’s concerned about new Thai government visa rules being imposed on its citizens travelling to Thailand. A new application scheme launched on November 29 by the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei now requires applicants to show evidence of sufficient funds for their trip. The requirement, which asks Taiwanese nationals to submit bank statements from…
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Taiwanese will have to provide financial statements to get a visa to Thailand
Taiwanese visiting Thailand will be required to give financial details in order to obtain a visitor’s visa starting next month, according to local news reports. Republic of China (Taiwan) passport holders will now be required to apply for a visa online and will have to schedule an appointment to submit their passports in person, according to the Taipei Times. They…
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Taiwan’s Eva Air adds direct flights to Phuket from next April
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com As the tourist demographic matures and evolves, so does the airline mix landing in Phuket. Now Phuket’s direct international airlift is set to increase again with non-stop flights from Taipei, Taiwan on Eva Air. The island’s airline traffic is already almost booked out for the next few months with Phuket International Airport officials asking airlines…
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Thai government confirms introduction of “double entry” tourist visa
PHOTO: The Nation The Thai government has announced a new double-entry tourist visa. The government says the new measures would allow a visitor to go in and out of Thailand to neighboring countries, such as Cambodia, Laos or Malaysia, then back into Thailand. The deputy secretary general to the PM, Kobsak Pootrakul, says a double-entry tourism visa will be introduced.…
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New MRT stations in Bangkok take you to the city’s historic spots
Thailand’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited are inviting locals and tourists to visit attractions near four of Bangkok’s MRT stations. Attractions include China Town, temples, palaces and shopping areas. The new Wat Mangkon, Samyot, Sanam Chai and Itsaraphap MRT stations have been designed to include retro styling to…
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Tourism authorities refurbish old klongs as new tourist attractions in Bangkok
Bangkok’s old nickname “Venice of the East” is slowly coming back to life as tourism and local municipal authorities aim to make-over some of the city’s famous klongs (canals) as new tourist attractions. Khlong Prawet Burirom runs east from the city towards Suvarnabhumi Airport. In May this year one of the old klongs, the King Lord Klong,was extensively refurbished and…
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Chinese medical tourism on the rise in Thailand
FILE PHOTO Despite Thailand’s current sluggish tourism intake, along with a strong baht, Chinese medical tourism continues to grow. From rhinoplasty to liposuction, eye-surgery to heart bypasses, Thailand’s reputation for affordable and reputable cosmetic surgery, and specialty clinics, draws tourists from all over the world. As of 2019, with 64 accredited hospitals, Thailand is currently among the top 10 medical…
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Drop your excise tax on jet fuel, or we’ll pull out – Airlines
The Thai Excise Department is proposing local airlines increase the number of flights to the Kingdom’s second-tier provincial airports in return for a reduction in the excise tax on jet fuel. The Department’s aim is to increase tourism into Thailand’s lesser-known tourist areas and attractions. Nok Air, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile Airways, Thai Airways International, Thai VietJet Air…
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