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.
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Pattaya police invite media to inspect the Walking Street makeover – safer, better, more secure
Business owners and staff along Pattaya’s high profile Walking Street are ready to to welcome visitors, both Thai and foreigners, after waiting for over 2 years. Pattaya police have paid a visit the street in a media stunt to declare the street is now ready, and safe, for visitors to return. They’ve been setting up checkpoints and urging security guards…
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Anutin reports surge in Thailand Pass applications after Test & Go dropped
Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM says there has been a jump in Thailand Pass applications since the ditching of Test & Go. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says registration has increased, with no problems reported with the simplified system so far. The health minister also commented on the Covid-19 situation in Thailand, saying that daily…
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Officials hope Test & Go cancellation will see flights to Thailand double by year end
With Test & Go now tested and gone, the Thai government hopes to see a surge in flights to the kingdom, up to twice the current number by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is anticipating 83,500 flights a month across all airports by the end of 2022. The…
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Yay May. Covid numbers down, arrival numbers up in Thailand.
May kicks off with an upbeat beginning in Thailand. Today’s May Day substitution public holiday saw the CCSA-reported daily Covid numbers drop below 10,000 for the first time since the start of February. And the number of daily deaths continues to fall below 100 after sitting over the milestone for most of April. 9,331 new Covid infections were reported in…
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Another Phuket festival showcases the island’s traditional clothing
Another Phuket seafood festival, but this time, there’s a unique new feature! From Friday until Saturday night, officials in Kathu district Phuket organised the ‘Suk Jai Naithu’ festival. The festival included a parade of people dressed in colourful, elaborate costumes. These costumes are the traditional clothing of Phuket. ‘Suk Jai Nathu’ means ‘Happy Naithu’. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan and…
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First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass”
Phuket’s first arrival flight under the Thailand Pass updated ‘eased’ restrictions has arrived! A flight from Qatar carrying with 324 passengers landed at Phuket International Airport this morning, and an airport director said 4,482 travellers in total are expected to arrive today. The director said that throughout May, an average of 27 flights per day were expected to arrive at…
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Thailand tourism authorities want to attract 1 million tourists a month in final quarter
Things are looking up for Thailand’s tourism sector as several entry restrictions are set to ease tomorrow (Sunday). On April 25, it was reported that 713,183 international travellers had arrived in Thailand this year, more than 50% actual tourists. Now, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reportedly hopes to attract at least 1 million tourists every month heading into the next…
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Police keep Pattaya’s Walking Street safe after reopening to cars
After Pattaya’s Walking Street started reopening to cars again from 7pm to 6am, police went to the street last night to make sure tourists safe. A lieutenant from Pattaya Traffic Police told The Pattaya News that over 90% of business operators had cooperated with the closure, however, “some still don’t know the rules” and are parking in the area. Walking…
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Airlines worldwide ordered to follow new entry measures for Thailand from May 1
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has instructed all airlines to follow the new entry measures applicable from Sunday, according to a Nation Thailand report. The notification follows the decision by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to drop the Test & Go entry scheme. This means overseas arrivals no longer need to undergo PCR testing on arrival or book…
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Domestic tourism stimulus campaigns to be extended
The government will extend its “We Travel Together” domestic tourism stimulus campaign, as well as the less popular “Tour Teaw Thai” campaign, until the end of 2022, according to a Bangkok Post report. Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says phase 5 of “We Travel Together” will offer 1 million room nights, after phase 4 ends next month.…
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Airlines raise concerns over Thailand’s 300-baht tourism fee, coming in Q3
Thailand continues to be a troublesome destination for airlines keen on resuming flights into the Kingdom. Firstly with the lingering Thailand Pass digital gateway, and now a new tourism tax (which will include compulsory insurance). Thailand’s tourism ministry has confirmed the proposed 300 baht tourism fee looks set to be implemented from the third quarter of 2022. Ministry official Mongkon…
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Government says Thailand Pass not being cancelled, being “streamlined”
The Thai government says the Thailand Pass is not being cancelled (at least, not for now) but the process will be streamlined to make it faster and more convenient. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Sumanee Wacharasint from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the cancellation of Test & Go from May 1 means there will no longer…
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Officials inspect Phuket airport ahead of entry restriction ease
Ahead of Thailand’s plan to ease entry restrictions starting May 1, officials have inspected a Phuket airport yesterday to inspect how ready it was for an expected rise in tourist numbers. The secretary-general of Thailand’s National Security Council went to make sure Phuket International Airport was ready to welcome tourists back to the island province. Among the officials joining the…
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Krungsri Research gives conservative estimate of 5.5 million tourists this year
The research arm of the Bank of Ayudhya is forecasting just 5.5 million international visitors for Thailand in 2022, following the cancellation of Test & Go. Krungsri Research says that although the cancellation of the Test & Go entry scheme has generated some promising signs, the recovery of international tourism will be sluggish as a result of several factors. According…
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Thailand Pass might be dropped by June 1
The cancellation of Thailand Pass registration could take place as early as June 1, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. With Thailand Pass gone, tourists would go back to using their TM6 immigration arrival forms for vaccine declaration. Earlier projected dates of July 1 to drop the much-debated Thailand Pass could happen a month earlier if the Centre for…
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Dog owners prosecuted for bathing dogs at waterfall inside Thai national park
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has prosecuted dog owners who brought dogs and bathed them at a waterfall inside the Khao Luang National Park in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The authorities said pets were banned from entering the national parks in Thailand to prevent the spread of diseases from the urban area. One…
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As tourists return, Pattaya’s Walking Street set to close to cars again
Pattaya officials say that starting tomorrow (Thursday), the city’s tourist magnet, Walking Street, will close to cars again, as it did in pre-Covid days. This news comes as more former bars have opened as ‘restaurants’, a loop hole in the Thai government’s Covid restrictions that’s been forced on bar owners so they can get their businesses open again. From 7pm…
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Man becomes first person ever to rollerblade across Thailand
A Thai man set a new record on Sunday by becoming the first person in the world to rollerblade from the northernmost to the southernmost tip of Thailand. The man’s journey from Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai to Betong district in Yala covered 2,051 kilometres and took 55 days. People have famously run the same route and many Thai’s…
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Koh Samui eyes European tourists following cancellation of Test & Go
Samui is eyeing European tourists after the Thai government confirmed the Test & Go entry program is being ditched from the end of April. On Koh Samui, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has met with local tourism associations, as well as over 30 leading European travel agencies. The get-together was to showcase several tourism attractions, activities, and hotels on the…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand sticking to target of 300,000 visitors a month
With a glass half-full in one hand, and a calculator in the other, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident the country will see 300,000 tourists a month – potentially more towards the end of the year. Yuthasak Supasorn says his agency will meet with tourism operators on April 29, to discuss promotional strategies for the international market. He remains…
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Thai government promotes the 5 Fs: Food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Commerce responded to the policy to promote Thailand’s ‘soft power’ from PM Prayut and has launched Thailand’s “5 Fs soft power,” which aims to promote five major Thai cultures to international eyes… food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals. “Soft power” is indirect or spontaneous promotion of Thai culture by celebrities, sportspeople and…
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Tourism Council of Thailand calls for Thailand Pass to be ditched from June
The Thailand Pass should be done away with from June if the country is to have any hope of attracting 10 million foreign tourists this year. That’s the view of the Tourism Council of Thailand, whose vice-president, Vichit Prakobgosol, says ditching the onerous paperwork could bring in an extra 2 million tour group visitors. According to Vichit, even with additional…
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Tourism to Thailand is increasing, but still has nothing on pre-pandemic levels
As entry restrictions into Thailand continue to ease, tourists are trickling back into the kingdom. Numbers of foreign arrivals are high compared to last year, but numbers are still low when compared with pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is expected to increase further from May 1, when tourists will no longer have to undergo any pre-travel or on-arrival Covid tests, and unvaccinated…
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Hong Kong to let in non-residents starting May 1, but with quarantine
After lifting suspensions on flights from 9 overseas locations on April 1, Hong Kong now plans to let in non-residents from all countries starting May 1. In the past month, average daily arrivals have risen in the territory to about 1,200 from a meagre 300, according to the Hong Kong government’s Covid website. The ban on non-residents has been in…
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Thailand drops all pre and on-arrival testing, banks on a tourist surge after May 1
The CCSA has approved the biggest easing of entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers (Thai and foreign) starting May 1, but awaiting official publication in the Royal Gazette, expected early next week. There will be no more Test & Go or Sandbox programs, and there’s now more options for unvaccinated travellers. The only 2 options for arriving travellers will simply…
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Thai commerce chairman welcomes end of PCR test requirement
Following the announcement for major changes to Thailand Pass, a commerce leader is giving the government a great big thank you. Yesterday, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Sanan Angubolkul, thanked the government for getting rid of mandatory RT-PCR tests for visitors on arrival, starting May 1. “The private sector believes the decision will help trade, investment, services…
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Thailand Pass Q&A – your questions answered
There are many changes now to the Thailand Pass. Love it or hate it, the ‘pass’ remains. But the process for entry to Thailand is now MUCH easier after May 1 and will surely spur a much-needed revival of tourism back to the country. Tim is here for a Saturday morning ‘catch up’ and to answer your questions on the…
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Thailand’s venues to be allowed to ‘officially’ serve alcohol slightly later
Along with several back-peddles for the Thailand Pass, Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday it also plans to ease another Covid-19 restriction- the alcohol curfew. Restaurants, and ‘restaurants’, will be able to serve alcohol until midnight, instead of 11pm. Like the Thailand Pass changes, the alcohol curfew change is set to start on May 1. Thailand’s 11pm alcohol curfew has given venue managers…
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Former Phuket prison to transform into spooky tourist attraction
An old Phuket prison no longer housing inmates is now set to become a spooky tourist attraction, providing visitors with a “Twilight Zone” experience. Phuket Prison was built in Phuket Town about 120 years ago, and Phuket officials now plan to turn it into a ‘live museum’ to teach both tourists and locals about its history. In addition to the…
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Koh Phang Ngan looking beyond Full Moon parties to more sustainable tourism
The Koh Phang Ngan Hotel and Tourism Association says the island is looking beyond its legendary full moon parties and aiming for more sustainable tourism. The association’s president, Chantana Limsuwan, says the island hopes to welcome 100,000 visitors this year, following the easing of travel restrictions. The Bangkok Post reports that the Full Moon Party on April 16, coupled with…
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