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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Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Monkey Dick anyone? Check out Chanthaburi’s weird street snacks.
A picturesque waterside village in Chanthaburi province is an Instagram sensation with visitors drawn by the strange names of weird street snacks, including the rightly famous “Monkey Dick.” English public schoolboys have been forced to eat the spotted variety of English dick for time immemorial. Many remain addicted to senility, with the dessert a fixture of House of Commons’ menus.…
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Thailand Tourism Ministry strives for 80 million international tourists in 2027
Thailand‘s Ministry of Tourism and Sports set a sky-high target of 80 million international tourists in the kingdom by 2027. The target exceeds Thailand’s current total population of 69 million. To frame the ambitious figure, pre-pandemic Thailand welcomed an average of 40 million international tourists per year. In 2022, Thailand welcomed 11.5 million international arrivals, exceeding the Tourism Authority of…
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China attacks Japan and South Korea over visa restrictions
Japan and South Korea defended public health restrictions on travellers from China attacks yesterday, one day after China stopped issuing visas in both countries in apparent retaliation. Chinese embassies stopped issuing visas for South Koreans and Japanese on Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether China would expand the visa suspensions to other countries that have imposed even stricter virus testing…
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85% of restaurants at Suvarnabhumi Airport are ‘Clean Food, Good Taste’ certified
Thailand‘s Department of Health certified 85% of restaurants in the passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport as having “Clean Food, Good Taste,” according to the department’s director-general Suwanchai Wattana. Suwanchai congratulated the operators of 58 restaurants (85.29% of restaurants in the terminal) who passed the health and safety standard with flying colours at an award ceremony yesterday. Any hungry passengers waiting…
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Chinese tourists won’t trigger increase in Covid-19 cases
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) reckons the influx of Chinese tourists will not trigger an increase in Covid-19 cases in Thailand but added the department will evaluate the status of coronavirus infections in two weeks’ time. DDC Director-General Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong revealed yesterday that the average daily number of cases is 900, and the number of Covid patients in…
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Govt to introduce 300 baht tourist fee in June
The government announced plans to introduce its long-mooted 300 baht tourist fee for foreign visitors in June. The tourism fee was originally planned to be imposed on foreign travellers at the beginning of last year but the idea was put on hold after the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant and details of how the government planned to collect the…
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Officials beautifying Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village, hoping to catch more tourists
Officials are giving Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village a makeover to help businesses catch more tourists. Yesterday, officials started sprucing up Beach Road in Bo Phut with landscape improvements, and general cleaning. The goal of the makeover is to reel in up to 5 million baht of cash for local street vendors. Tourism operators hope to bring out the old charm…
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MOPH to open vaccination centre for foreigners
The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) plans to offer Covid-19 vaccines for foreigners at Bang Rak Medical Centre in Bangkok for about 1,000 baht. The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced on Wednesday, December 28 that he planned to give free booster shots to foreigners but added it would need Cabinet approval in January. The proposal was seen…
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German tourist falls near summit of Tiger Cave Temple in southern Thailand
A young German tourist is injured after falling from the top of the stairs at Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday afternoon. At 3pm, Krabi Tourist Police were informed that a German tourist needed medical help after an accident near the summit of the mountain. Rescue workers climbed over 1,000 steps, which took more than one…
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Cabinet announces change to holiday calendar
The government yesterday announced a change to the Thai holiday calendar. Government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul revealed the Cabinet has declared Friday, May 5, a special holiday, making it a four-day holiday for Coronation Day. The Cabinet agreed to change the date because this year’s Coronation Day falls on a Thursday, reported Bangkok Post. “The long holiday for Coronation Day will…
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Daily direct flights between Phuket and Shanghai to takeoff next week
Daily flights between Phuket in southern Thailand and Shanghai in China will takeoff next Wednesday, January 18, operated by Shanghai’s Juneyao Airlines. The inaugural flight will be the first direct service between Phuket and mainland China in almost three years. China reopened its borders yesterday, and given that China was once Thailand’s top tourism market, Thailand braced itself for an…
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Thailand informs airlines about removal of Covid-19 vaccine rule
Unvaccinated travellers heading to Thailand can now feel at ease knowing airlines around the world have been informed that Thailand no longer requires arrivals to prove they are vaccinated against Covid-19. Thailand momentarily reintroduced the two-dose Covid vaccine entry requirement with barely any notice as a measure to mitigate the risk of importing a caseload of coronavirus from China, which…
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Chinese tourists trickling in after reopening
With a back and forth over Covid-19 restrictions, as China opens its doors for its citizens to travel outbound again, the wave of the coveted Chinese tourist demographic has been nothing more than a trickle. The first arrivals in three years on a direct flight from China to Thailand landed in Bangkok on January 8, with 200 enthusiastic travellers. After Covid…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand plans first roadshow in China after pandemic
Now that China has lifted travel restrictions for its citizens, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is once again tapping into the Chinese tourism market. TAT is planning a roadshow in China during the third week of February. This will be the first roadshow after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to TAT’s Regional Director of East Asia Chuwit Sirivejkul. The roadshow…
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Thai island holds first Full Moon party of the year, draws 20,000 tourists
Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan welcomed its first Full Moon party of the year on Friday night, drawing 20,000 tourists, according to Surat Thani’s vice governor. The party experienced a bit of rain, but after the rain cleared, tourists were able to have a blast dancing on the beach. Vice Governor Choosak Rooying told The Phuket Express that so…
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Thailand U-turns on Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement
Just days after Thailand reintroduced the two-dose Covid-19 vaccine entry requirement, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the requirement will be dropped with immediate effect. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has informed airlines globally that unvaccinated tourists must provide either proof of recovery from Covid in the past six months or a doctor’s note explaining why they are…
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Koh Samui ferries prepare to welcome back Chinese tourists
Koh Samui ferries prepare to welcome back Chinese tourists this weekend. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese made up Thailand’s biggest tourist group. Yesterday, China finally allowed its citizens to travel abroad again. Thai media said yesterday that ferry companies in Koh Samui’s Angthong sub-district were preparing their ferries to accommodate tourists travelling to Koh Samed, Koh Pha Ngan,…
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Thousands of hotel bookings cancelled after vaccine measures introduced
Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) advisory president made it known to the public yesterday that at least 1,000 hotel bookings have been cancelled after Thailand decided tourists needed two Covid-19 vaccine doses before entering the kingdom. The Minister of Transport, Saksayam Chidchob, later confirmed that travellers without a vaccine certification can enter Thailand, but they might be randomly tested at the…
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Tips for riding motorcycle in Thailand
PLEASE NOTE: We’re not recommending that you should ride a motorbike or motorcycle in Thailand but, if you do, these tips will help… Riding a motorbike in Thailand is a great way to get around, especially in heavy traffic where it’s often the quickest option. While some may warn against it, those who avoid hopping on a 110cc scooter miss out on…
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Doi Kloselo tourist attractions threatened by hydropower dam
In Mae Hong Son province, Doi Kloselo tourist attractions are to be created in a desperate attempt by locals to stop a planned hydropower dam on the Salween River. The Salween is one of Asia’s last largely free-flowing rivers. About 3,300 kilometres long, the Salween flows from the Tibetan Plateau south into the Andaman Sea, primarily within southwest China and…
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Alibaba’s Jack Ma enjoys a visit to Bangkok
Billionaire Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba and Yunfeng Capital, has been enjoying his time in Thailand, visiting popular tourist attractions in the capital city of Bangkok. He was recently seen at the famous Michelin star Jay Fai street food and the Rajadamnern Boxing Stadium. The Chinese businessman ate at Thailand’s most famous street food stall and stopped to take…
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Indian travel slowing due to new restrictions
The massive Indian demographic for Thai tourism has been slowing due to new Covid-19 travel restrictions the Indian government has implemented. Travellers returning from Thailand are now required to take an RT-PCR test, an expensive inconvenience that is discouraging many from travelling. The so-called meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) segment and independent travellers have been particularly put off by…
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Etihad Airways doubles flights to Bangkok
Etihad Airways is doubling its flights from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok this year. The United Arab Emirates flag carrier will fly twice a day, making 14 nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting Sunday, March 26. Business and Economy Class cabins will be available to passengers. Etihad Airways Chief Revenue Officer Arik De said he is delighted…
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Thailand’s long-distance trains to relocate to new Bangkok rail hub from January 19
The State Railway of Thailand is relocating 52 train services from Hua Lampong Station to Bangkok‘s new central rail hub – Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (formerly Bang Sue Junction) – from January 19. Passengers catching long-distance, rapid and express train services will depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district from this date onward. Inbound trains…
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VIDEO: The WHO accuses China of massaging Covid data
The World Health Organization (WHO) accused China of not being transparent about the true impact of the coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese mainland or about its death toll. The WHO believes Beijing is massaging data since it removed its strict restrictions and mass-testing last month. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, said… “We believe that the current numbers being published…
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Chinese tourist surge may be small, trains may help
After a flurry of excitement over the return of Chinese tourists, perhaps tempered a bit by Covid-19 worries amidst a huge outbreak there, industry experts are predicting a smaller surge this Chinese New Year. The Association of Thai Travel Agents says that many large tour groups popular in China have not confirmed trips until the country makes an official announcement…
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Tourists pump 6 billion baht into Phuket’s economy during new year
Tourists pumped over 6 billion baht into the economy of Phuket in southern Thailand over the four-day new year holiday, according to the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Nantasiri Ronasiri. Today, TAT director Nantasiri revealed that between December 30 to January 2, accommodation in Phuket was booked up at 77% of capacity. During these four days and…
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China threatens retaliation over restrictions on Chinese tourists
China is striking back as governments around the world are making policies for Chinese tourists entering their countries. A massive Covid-19 wave has been surging through the mainland, but January 8 reopening plans are still in place allowing a huge tourism demographic of Chinese tourists to flock to holiday destinations worldwide. But not only that! China is threatening countermeasures against…
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Call for Covid boosters before wave of Chinese tourism
To prepare for an influx of Chinese tourists, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is encouraging all employees in the tourism sector to get a Covid-19 booster shot. China has experienced a giant wave of infections since it abandoned its zero-Covid policy but the mainland still intends to open its borders to allow citizens to travel abroad next week. Many…
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Phuket chosen as pilot province to promote organic tourism
The popular holiday resort of Phuket has been chosen as a pilot province to promote organic tourism. The Thai Organic Consumer Association (TOCA) revealed it wants to boost organic tourism in the province in an effort to connect hotels and consumers with farmers digitally and introduce incentive reward programmes. TOCA President Arrut Navaraj believes that information transparency would benefit everyone…
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