Phuket
- Phuket News
More lost tourists with Covid break Phuket quarantine for Samui
Police have yet to confirm whether they found several missing Russians – a single man and a separate couple – who left hotels in Phuket before finishing mandatory hotel quarantine periods only to be found to be positive for Covid-19. But the hunt for Covid-19 infected tourists is on yet again, as Phuket Tourist Police are looking for any information…
- Travel
“Special Sealed Route” transit flights from Bangkok to Phuket start February 1
Coinciding with the resumption of the Test & Go entry scheme, starting February 1, Bangkok Airways will begin two “Special Sealed Route” flights from Bangkok to Phuket per day for tourists arriving under the Phuket Sandbox scheme. Passengers must follow the guidelines set by the Centre for Covid-19 Administration pertaining to required documents. Along with a Thailand Pass QR code,…
- Phuket News
Sealed route proposal for asymptomatic infected tourists gets lukewarm reception in Phuket
Phuket officials have responded less than enthusiastically to a suggestion that infected asymptomatic tourists be allowed to travel via a sealed route. Pichet Panapong, the province’s deputy governor, says he believes infected tourists should stay in their hotel rooms. According to a Bangkok Post report, he’s already said as much to the immigration chief who initially made the suggestion. Pichet…
- Phuket News
Tourists not wearing masks face tough talk from Phuket authorities
Expressing frustration against tourists that disregard Covid-19 safety rules and regulations, authorities in Phuket say they will take legal action against foreigners who don’t wear their face masks in public. Phuket’s immigration chief called on authorities to strictly enforce the regulations set out by the local Communicable Disease Committee that required that masks be worn at all times in public.…
- Phuket News
Police seek Russian couple after wife tests positive for Covid-19
After mild punishment for the first widely reported case of someone leaving their approved hotel before their quarantine period was over, it seems the floodgates are open. In Koh Chang, 6 people who tested positive for Covid-19 left their hotel and had to be tracked down. A few days ago a Russian man with Covid-19 who was supposed to be…
- Phuket News
A second Russian man with Covid-19 missing from Phuket hotel
A Russian man who tested positive for Covid-19 is being sought after disappearing from his hotel room and not returning yet. Wait! Don’t click away! This isn’t a story about the Russian man who was the subject of a manhunt Thursday and Friday. This is another very similar incident and police are still searching for the missing Covid-infected man. Anton…
- Thailand video news
Phuket entertainment and night life still booming | Thaiger Stories
The Thaiger’s Jay visits Phuket’s famous Bangla Road ‘walking street’ to have a look at how the entertainment venues and night life is travelling at the moment. The initial observation is that it’s the same as it was back in 2019, pre-pandemic. How hard has the pandemic impacted the world famous Bangla street? And why is Phuket’s Patong getting to…
- Thailand video news
Thailand Tourist Sandbox and Test & Go Experiences | Vox Pop Ep. 4
We go around Patong in Phuket to ask the tourists what their experience has been with the Test and Go entry scheme into Thailand. We let the people tell us about the moods and vibes of the place and what the situation is really like on the island as well as details of the quarantine experience in the hotels. Watch…
- Phuket News
Police find Covid-19 infected missing Russian tourist… In his own hotel room
After frenzied reporting on Thai news yesterday, the police manhunt for a Covid-19 positive Russian tourist thought to have escaped his Phuket Sandbox hotel is over and considered a false alarm. The police 191 hotline received notification from the Patong Parak Hotel in Phuket that the man had disappeared from his room after testing positive for Covid-19. The man was…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s critical situation calls for increased support
The following is a press release from Living Waters Phuket. The deteriorating tourism situation plus rising Omicron cases have led to a demand for immediate and increased community support from Living Waters Phuket. Living Waters Phuket Foundation, together with 5 Star Marine, are dealing with a steep increase in demand for their ‘Life Bags’ from local communities in need, as…
- Pattaya News
Thai police investigate deaths of 2 foreign nationals in Phuket, Chon Buri
Police are investigating the deaths of 2 foreigners this week, one in the eastern province of Chon Buri and the other on the southern island of Phuket. The Bangkok Post reports that 63-year-old Philipe Kernen was found dead at his home in the Phuket sub-district of Rawai earlier this week. The French national was found lying face-down on his bed, with…
- Phuket News
Phuket seeing healthy tourism demand, with 4,000 Thailand Pass applications a day
The president of the Phuket Tourism Association says the island is proving popular with foreign tourists, receiving 4,000 applications a day through the Thailand Pass system. Bhummikitti Ruktaengam says most of those visitors are from Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. Bhummikitti credits the success of the island’s Covid-19 measures for inspiring confidence among foreign…
- Pattaya News
Yacht docked at Pattaya pier catches fire
A yacht docked in Pattaya caught fire today, sending a dark cloud of smoke billowing above buildings along the coast. The Shiraz yacht docked at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club caught fire at around 10:58am today. It took firefighters 30 minutes to control the flames. Firefighters are still investigating, but the cause is suspected to be a short circuit. The…
- Phuket News
Phuket Immigration officers to visit quarantine hotels to help with visa extensions
Immigration authorities are reportedly visiting each centre, hotel and resort in Phuket approved for Covid-19 isolation and quarantine to assist foreign Covid-19 patients who need to extend their visa, but cannot visit the Immigration Bureau Office because they isolating or receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. Yesterday the authorities visit Patong Resort to bring documents for foreign visitors who need…
- Phuket News
Police apprehend man who killed 2, injured 3 at Phuket market
After a shooting on Friday at the Phuket City Municipality Fresh Market 1 that left 3 injured and 2 dead, police announced today that they have apprehended the suspect they hold responsible for the shootout. Investigators have been tracking his escape after he fled the scene of the crime and managed to pick him up this morning. He allegedly confessed…
- Phuket News
Phuket to 8 foreign reps: your citizens must obey Covid-19 rules
When children in class misbehave, teachers contact the parents and tell them to keep their kids in line. But what do you do when foreign tourists are misbehaving in your country? Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met today with Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls from 8 countries to ask them to warn their citizens to follow the rules – especially Covid-19…
- Phuket News
Phuket to get 60,000 Moderna vaccines for 4th boosters
Phuket is lined up to get some of the millions of Moderna vaccines arriving in Thailand now with plans to begin administering fourth vaccines – second booster shots – beginning later this month. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation has allocated budget money to procure 60,000 Moderna vaccines for residents of the province. Phuket has been among the most successful regions…
- Phuket News
Hundreds barred daily on Phuket bridge lacking Covid-19 docs
Police are warning people that if you’re going to drive into Phuket, you better have a negative Covid-19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival or proof you are fully vaccinated or you will be turned away. The officers guarding the land entrance onto Phuket Island said they are turning away as many as 500 drivers per day who…
- Thailand News
Surat Thani islands, Krabi, Phang Nga approved for Sandbox scheme starting January 11
With the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme suspended indefinitely, more areas have been approved to welcome travellers under the Sandbox programme, which allows those who are fully vaccinated to enter and stay in a designated area or province rather than undergoing quarantine at a hotel or facility. Starting January 11, travellers can register to enter Thailand through the Sandbox…
- Covid-19 News
Two foreign travellers wanted by Phuket authorities, Covid-positive and left hotel quarantine
Two French travellers are wanted by Phuket authorities leaving their hotel quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. Thai media used a word meaning “escape” and posted mugshots of the man and woman like suspects on a wanted criminal poster. Authorities have asked those who have seen the travellers, who are both around 35 years old, to contact the Patong Police…
- Phuket News
Phuket governor says island will remain open for tourists, despite rise in infections
The governor of Phuket has reassured local businesses that the island remains open for tourists under its sandbox scheme. Narong Wunsiew says that despite a steep rise in Covid-19 case numbers, there are no plans for a lockdown. “As we aim to contain Covid-19 while boosting the economy, we have received pleas for us not to shut down the island…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron Update: 2,062 infections in 54 Thailand provinces
Thailand and hope to avoid an outbreak of Omicron for as long as possible, but the highly transmissible variance spread was unavoidable. Now there are over 2,000 cases of Omicron infections across 54 provinces in Thailand according to the Department of Medical Science. DMS Director-General Dr Supakit Sirilak discussed the spread of Omicron and detailed the provinces with the most…
- Phuket News
Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital
Phuket hoteliers have come up with a solution for asymptomatic guests who test positive for the Omicron variant but refuse to be transferred to hospital. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says in order to keep Phuket’s re-opening going, tourists who test positive but have no symptoms should be offered isolation facilities at their hotel instead of having to…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Talk of Test & Go cutoff date, approved travellers can’t reschedule flights
UPDATE: At the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting this morning, a spokesperson for the Thai PM noted that Prayut Chan-o-cha supports extending the current suspension of the Test & Go program. The PM also indicated support for a January 10 sunset date for currently approved Thailand Pass applications – those approved before December 21 and for those applications made before…
- Thailand video news
Test & Go scheme to remain suspended & Phuket covid spike | GMT
Test & Go scheme is has already been proposed to last until the end of the month due to a high rise in Omicron infections in Thailand. Phuket has urged caution to everyone over covid infections spike and other news from all across Thailand in todays good morning Thailand with Jay and Natty
- Phuket News
11 local, 10 international Omicron infections found in Phuket
11 local Thai women on popular party hub Bangla Road and 10 international travellers arriving at Phuket International Airport tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The local office of the Ministry of Interior operates the Phuket Info Centre where the report of the new variant infections was posted, citing the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office as its source.…
- Thailand News
Thailand celebrated New Year’s Eve with fireworks, Covid-19 measures
Last night, despite fears of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, people all over Thailand celebrated the New Year with parties, events, and loads of fireworks. While many official government events were cancelled in provinces throughout the country and in the capital city, private events were permitted to continue with tightened Covid-19 restrictions. In Bangkok, Iconsiam shopping complex hosted the biggest New…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: Andrea Bocelli performs at Phuket’s to welcome in 2022
UPDATE Well, Andrea Bocelli appeared at Saphan Hin park in Phuket, probably one of his least memorable singing venues, last night to herald in the new year. After an hour of searching through all the social media this morning I stumbled on the Instagram account of President of the Phuket Tourist Association, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam. Performing, it appears, with the accompaniment…
- Phuket News
Russians the top demographic in Phuket, will likely remain so
Over the Christmas holiday, Russian tourists were the number 1 demographic in Phuket, and with the tightening restrictions on entry to Thailand except for the Phuket Sandbox, that trend is expected to continue into the New Year holiday and beyond. Before the whole Covid pandemic kicked off, pre-2019, Russians were already a major tourism force in Phuket. Now, after being…
- Koh Samui News
Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox
Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. Operators are also asking for a sandbox programme for Samui, demanding to know why this is currently limited to Phuket only. According to a Pattaya News report, operators have cited multiple cancellations of hotel bookings from foreign tourists who had…
