July

  • Phuket NewsTAT touts the Phuket Sandbox first month July successes

    TAT touts the Phuket Sandbox first month July successes

    The official numbers are out and the Tourism Authority of Thailand has touted success in the Phuket Sandbox plan’s first month, with over 14,000 international travellers arriving and a reported 829 million baht of revenue generated in July. Between the reopening date July 1 and the end of the month July 31, 14,055 travellers arrived, and the 829 million baht…

  • Covid-19 NewsBangkok planning to open 25 Covid-19 vaccination centres by end of May

    Bangkok planning to open 25 Covid-19 vaccination centres by end of May

    Bangkok authorities say they are teaming with private entities to open 25 vaccination centres by the end of May, with a goal of opening up vaccinations to the general public by June. The announcement comes as Thailand’s capital has seen new Covid-19 clusters, prompting updated goals of inoculating 5 million residents by the end of July. Now, health officials say…

  • Covid-19 NewsKoh Phi Phi national park closing for 13 days to control Covid-19

    Koh Phi Phi national park closing for 13 days to control Covid-19

    Thailand’s Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi national park is closing for 13 days from today because of the current Covid-19 situation Park chief, Prayoon Pongphan, told The Phuket News that the decision was made as Krabi province is seeing a rise in infections. “The number of infected cases in many areas, including Krabi, is increasing. From the disease investigation, it…

  • Tourism NewsPhuket’s July Sandbox no-quarantine model “needs a major revamp”

    Phuket’s July Sandbox no-quarantine model “needs a major revamp”

    Thailand’s Sports and Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is acknowledging that Phuket’s ‘Sandbox’ model for a no-quarantine re-opening in July will need “a major revamp”. As the Songkran travel bubble bursts and the monsoon season waves start to roll onto the island’s west coast beaches, Phuket’s scheduled July re-boot suddenly seems a long way off. Minister Phiphat says he plans to meet…

  • Tourism NewsUPDATE: Phuket’s tourism ‘sandbox’ plan gets approved by CESA

    UPDATE: Phuket’s tourism ‘sandbox’ plan gets approved by CESA

    Phuket’s tourism sandbox plan has been approved, as of today, by The Centre for Economic Situation Administration. The meeting was chaired by the Thai PM. The scheme, which would allow vaccinated tourists to skip quarantine starting July 1, still needs to be discussed between the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the CCSA, and the Phuket governor before becoming official. Tourists who…

  • Tourism NewsPhuket’s upcoming reopening aims to help residents avoid poverty

    Phuket’s upcoming reopening aims to help residents avoid poverty

    Phuket’s upcoming reopening in July is aimed at helping local residents avoid falling into poverty. According to Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong, the average monthly income of local residents before the Covid-19 pandemic sat at 43,000 baht per month. Now, Pichet says it has fallen to only 8,303 baht per month, signaling a drastic fall nearing the poverty line. “If…

  • Politics NewsPolice say protests still banned under Emergency Decree

    Police say protests still banned under Emergency Decree

    A police spokesman has said that political gatherings are still banned under the Emergency Decree until the latest extension becomes effective next month, apparently contradicting the National Security Council chief who recently said, “The decree will no longer ban gatherings. This shows that the emergency decree has sole, pure intentions of controlling the disease.” Despite the government’s insistence that the…

  • Covid-19 NewsThe Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved extending the Emergency Decree

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved extending the Emergency Decree

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved the proposal from the National Security Council last week to extend the emergency decree until the end of July. The decision was made at a meeting this morning with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and other relevant officials. Read more about last weeks proposal HERE. The CCSA says the extension was necessary because the…

  • Covid-19 NewsOpen for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.

    Open for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.

    Thailand has now gone over a month without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, and July 1, approaching quickly, will see the resumption of all businesses and activities originally suspended under the Emergency Decree, including bars, pubs and “soapy” massage parlours. Spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the announcement yesterday. He told the media…

  • Covid-19 NewsMassage parlours will be allowed to reopen, must track and report customers to government

    Massage parlours will be allowed to reopen, must track and report customers to government

    Post-Covid nightlife in Thailand is likely to be a bit duller than before, but at least “soapie massage” is back on the menu. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that massage parlours of every description will be allowed to reopen along with bars, pubs and other venues in the next phase of easing restrictions. But, there will be…

  • Tourism NewsKoh Samet will reopen next month

    Koh Samet will reopen next month

    The eastern Rayong province’s Koh Samet will reopen to the public on July 1, after being closed since the enactment of the Emergency Decree to halt the spread of Covid-19. The reopening follows with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s policy to reopen all national parks nationwide. Koh Samet is a part of the Khao Laemya – Koh Samet…

  • Covid-19 NewsCAAC chief: International flights unlikely before September

    CAAC chief: International flights unlikely before September

    Dashing hopes that international arrivals (code for ‘tourist flights’) could resume on July 1, Thailand’s senior civilian aviation regulator says that they’re are likely to resume as late as September. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s director says none of the airlines he’s met expressed any interest in resuming international flights next month, when the order shutting down the country’s…

  • Tourism NewsThai tourist numbers recover mid-year after a shaky few months in Q2

    Thai tourist numbers recover mid-year after a shaky few months in Q2

    After a few dips in April and May, tourists to Thailand flocked back, up 4.72% for July compared to a year earlier. Tourist arrivals in June were up a much more modest .89%. 3.33 million tourists visited the country during July and spent 167.3 billion baht (USD5.47 billion), up 3.11% from a year earlier. Visitors from China, where there’s been…

  • World NewsSouthern insurgency suspect dies after 35 days in coma

    Southern insurgency suspect dies after 35 days in coma

    PHOTO: Adbulloh Benjakat Abdulloh Esor Musor, left in a coma after being interrogated at a notorious southern Thai detention centre in Pattani, died yesterday, as pressure mounts on the Thai army to release further findings of a probe into the case. The man, a suspected insurgent allegedly tortured during his brief military custody being questioned after his arrest on July 20,…