can I fly to Thailand

  • Thailand NewsThailand tourism, innovate or die – OPINION

    Thailand tourism, innovate or die – OPINION

    Red flags are flying in Thai tourism circles as the expected wave of international travellers is failing to materialise in the expected numbers. With the post-April 1 and Songkran ‘surge’ out of the way, the daily arrivals have been ‘flat’. So the TAT say they’re pivoting their marketing to short-haul tourism as the long-haul markets and traditional travellers to Thailand…

  • Thailand NewsThailand Pass remains, at least until the end of June

    Thailand Pass remains, at least until the end of June

    A good news and bad news day yesterday as the Thailand Pass was scrapped for Thais at the end of May, but remains an online digital gateway requirement for foreigners, at least until the end of June, perhaps beyond. The only good news for foreign travellers, in yesterday’s briefing, was the removal of quarantine for unvaccinated, or under-vaccinated, inbound arrivals.…

  • Thailand NewsThaiger Weekend Update – Saturday, May 14 – VIDEO

    Thaiger Weekend Update – Saturday, May 14 – VIDEO

    The hot topics remain to be how and when the remaining restrictions are going to be removed, the fate of the Thailand Pass, getting Thailand’s nightlife open again (officially) and the things stopping travellers returning to Thailand at the moment. Throw your comments and questions at Tim as we travel on the good ship ‘Thailand’ for an hour. Good morning,…

  • Covid-19 NewsYay May. Covid numbers down, arrival numbers up in Thailand.

    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…

  • Thailand NewsBREAKING: Thailand ENDS Test & Go and Sandbox, changes for unvaccinated travellers

    BREAKING: Thailand ENDS Test & Go and Sandbox, changes for unvaccinated travellers

    Thailand plans to scrap its unpopular Test & Go entry scheme, opting instead to adopt the simplified categories of “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated” for international travellers arriving in the kingdom. The actual Thailand Pass – the online pre-registration system – will remain, although the paperwork has been vastly simplified by these changes. The CCSA announced those major changes, among others, about…

  • Covid-19 NewsUnpacking the long and winding road to ‘endemic’ in Thailand – latest changes to Covid restrictions

    Unpacking the long and winding road to ‘endemic’ in Thailand – latest changes to Covid restrictions

    Strap in for the tortuous journey towards Thailand’s opening up without the Covid red tape – a four month trip where the country’s long list of confusing and sometimes conflicting restrictions will slowly be binned. But even when we get to July, if all goes to plan (it rarely does), we will still face a number of lingering questions about…

  • World NewsVaccinated Travel Lanes between Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia starting March 15

    Vaccinated Travel Lanes between Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia starting March 15

    A network of new Vaccinated Travel Lanes is starting to open up around South East Asia as the government’s find ‘safe’ ways to reopen their borders whilst still maintaining some precautions. The Omicron variant continues to surge in many of the regional Asian countries despite similar surges and declines already over in many countries in the EU, the US, UK…

  • Visa InformationUPDATE: Thailand Pass Test & Go 3.0 opens for new registration TODAY

    UPDATE: Thailand Pass Test & Go 3.0 opens for new registration TODAY

    UPDATE (March 1): Thailand’s revamped Test & Go travel scheme under the Thailand Pass system is open for new registration from today! Apply now for no PCR test or hotel quarantine on Day 5. Keep reading for the full details on what’s new and why you should travel to the Land of Smiles… Note: People who received their Thailand Pass…

  • Covid-19 NewsThe new Test & Go – the fine print

    The new Test & Go – the fine print

    Here are some added details for people wanting to arrive under the new version of the Thailand Pass Test & Go program for fully vaccinated travellers entering Thailand at this time. Yesterday the CCSA removed the Day 5 pre-paid PCR test and additional night of SHA+ accommodation. The additional day of testing, and waiting, were deeply unpopular with travellers after…

  • Tourism NewsTravel Guide: Thailand Pass “Test & Go” 3.0 – All you need to know!

    Travel Guide: Thailand Pass “Test & Go” 3.0 – All you need to know!

    There’s good news on the horizon for those looking to travel to Thailand. The CCSA has just updated requirements for entry into Thailand, making it easier to enter the Land of Smiles — with a big smile of your own. Beginning March 1, travellers by air, land and water will be able to register to enter Thailand under the revised…

  • Tourism NewsThailand’s long road back to ’normal’

    Thailand’s long road back to ’normal’

    OPINION Thailand is lagging behind the rest of the world with its turn tackling the Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The sudden surge, peaking, then dropping numbers of cases that define the waves of Omicron around the world have had their peaks at different times, in different countries. For the world, the peak was on January 21, for the US…

  • EventsLove is in the air… and the beer… and the Prosecco

    Love is in the air… and the beer… and the Prosecco

    Origins of Valentine’s Day, with a Thai twist, by Barry Daniel Saint Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time for romance, flowers, candle-lit dinners and the whispering of sweet nothings into the shell-like ear of the object of your affections. But in Phuket there can be other distractions! History is unclear on whether any of The Beatles had journeyed to Thailand…

  • Phuket NewsBangkok and Pattaya left out of the Sandboxes

    Bangkok and Pattaya left out of the Sandboxes

    Goodbye Test & Go. Hello Sandboxes, but more Sandboxes. But all the Sandboxes are in Thailand’s south and Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, to name the obvious victims, have been left out in the cold the latest re-arrangement of Thailand Pass re-entry conditions. With the Sandbox programs, originally launched in Phuket on July 1, travellers can enter Thailand, stay and…

  • Covid-19 NewsPattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    “The permit to arrive in Thailand is the least of the problems for many potential international tourists as airlines around the world have been cancelling services.” Whilst the southern island of Phuket appears to be a winner in the government’s recent, and selective, alterations to its Thailand Pass options, Thailand’s other main tourist hot spot outside Bangkok, Pattaya, has again…

  • Covid-19 NewsUPDATE: Israel bans ALL foreign entry over Omicron

    UPDATE: Israel bans ALL foreign entry over Omicron

    Israel is the first country to impose a blanket ban on all foreigners from entering the country for at least 14 days. In a statement to parliament, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett says the ban, pending government approval, would last for 14 days. Meanwhile, the South African doctor who was the first to sound an international alarm over the new Omicron…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | 39 YO dies after AZ vaccine, bus services curbed, Andaman Sandbox | July 21

    Thailand News Today | 39 YO dies after AZ vaccine, bus services curbed, Andaman Sandbox | July 21

    On August 1, the Tourism Authority of Thailand hopes to launch the “Andaman Sandbox”, allowing the southern provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi to re-open to foreign tourism. For the next 2 weeks all interprovincial bus services entering and leaving Phuket will be suspended. Muay Thai might soon be an Olympic sport. A 39 year old teacher died the day…

  • Tourism NewsInside Phuket’s Sandbox – Questions answered | VIDEO

    Inside Phuket’s Sandbox – Questions answered | VIDEO

    Tim tries to answer as many Phuket Sandbox questions as possible as the fourth day of the ‘reopening’ emerges. So far, so good. Vaccines, tourism, getting back onto the island as an expat, flights, etc. The Sandbox is the first step in reopening Thailand to vaccinated travellers, without a formal 14 day quarantine in a hotel. Unfiltered, unshaven, unscripted. I…

  • Tourism NewsFull text of Phuket Sandbox order released in English

    Full text of Phuket Sandbox order released in English

    Today, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew signed Phuket Province Order No. 3491/2564 officially detailing the rules of the Sandbox reopening. While most provisions have been widely discussed – fully vaccinated travellers coming from at least 3 weeks in a low- to medium-risk country, negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours, US $100,000 Covid-19 insurance, 14 days in an SHA+ hotel, tests on…

  • Thailand video newsGood Morning Thailand | 1 minute Covid test, 5 year tourism recovery, Bangkok update

    Good Morning Thailand | 1 minute Covid test, 5 year tourism recovery, Bangkok update

    Day 3 as we slowly settle into the new, daily, Good Morning Thailand. Today we have Tim, Bill, Able and Jett. Agree, disagree, enjoy. It’s all opinions about things concerning people in Thailand right now. We had two power outages this morning, so sorry about the delay.

  • Tourism NewsThailand ploughs ahead with plans for re-opening tourist areas

    Thailand ploughs ahead with plans for re-opening tourist areas

    The Thai government says they’re pressing ahead with plans to waive the current mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to Bangkok and and 5 other major tourist destinations from October this year as an effort to reboot the country’s battered tourism industry. Dr. Traisulee Traisoranakul from the CCSA says the new measures will provide easier access to the main tourist locations…

  • Tourism NewsBusy in BKK – dust off the planes, Thais are travelling again! VIDEO

    Busy in BKK – dust off the planes, Thais are travelling again! VIDEO

    BKK is busy, well, compared to the last 10 months in Thailand. Bangkok’s two airports were closed as part of the 2020 ‘lockdown’ and only reopened at the end of May after about 8 weeks, and only to domestic traffic (with some limited international repatriation, cargo, and a few passenger flights). Over the past 10 months Tim has been flying…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s 4-phase reopening, starting today

    Thailand’s 4-phase reopening, starting today

    This is not an April fool’s joke. Thailand has set a tentative 4-phase plan starting April 1 for reopening the borders, lifting restrictions, and relaxing quarantine periods, allowing international travel to recommence in a safe manner. As always, this a currently a PLAN and has not been confirmed by the Thai government at this stage. The planned rollout has a…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai quarantine confusion – do ASQ hotels know about April 1 changes?

    Thai quarantine confusion – do ASQ hotels know about April 1 changes?

    A gentleman from Sacramento, California, 43 years old, wanted to come to Thailand for Songkran, and then some further exploration. But, with all the changes announced by the government, the restrictions imposed recently for Songkran celebrations, and the hotels still advertising for 14 day quarantines, he’s found it a complete minefield. His main complaint – people ‘on the ground’ don’t…

  • Covid-19 NewsMore restrictions being lifted on April 1 – shorter quarantine and no fit-to-fly certificates

    More restrictions being lifted on April 1 – shorter quarantine and no fit-to-fly certificates

    No, it’s not an April Fool’s Day prank. At yesterday’s CCSA meeting it was decided to formally drop the quarantine period to 10 and 7 days, and ditch the fit-to fly documents, previously required for anyone travelling to Thailand. This all starts on Thursday, April 1. The CCSA meeting agreed to shorten the former mandatory 14 day quarantine period to…

  • Tourism NewsAn international Digital Travel Pass could be the magic bullet to restart global tourism

    An international Digital Travel Pass could be the magic bullet to restart global tourism

    A new international Travel Pass, a sort of digital health certificate, may be the way forward for countries to re-open their borders and international airlines to get their planes back into the air. The International Air Transport Association says the ‘digital’ certificate will support the safe reopening of borders. As Covid-19 testing and the results becomes more reliable and nuanced,…