Tourism Authority of Thailand
- Tourism News
TAT 80% revenue recovery plan: get travellers to spend double
While the Tourism Authority of Thailand admits the revenue figures for 2021 are grim and likely won’t improve monumentally in the final quarter, they still have a rosy outlook on the tourism market rebounding over the next few years. The TAT is estimating that by 2023 tourism revenue will have recovered to 80% of the huge numbers seen at its…
- Tourism News
Domestic tourism hoped to generate 882 billion baht in 2022
Perhaps not putting all of its eggs in the foreign tourism basket, the Thai government has now set a target for domestic tourism revenue next year to reach close to 1 trillion baht. While international travel is slowly finally opening back up in Thailand, it is more of a trickle than a flood, and government officials are looking towards domestic…
- Tourism News
All countries now eligible for Thailand’s sandbox programme
The Thai government has got rid of its list of “approved countries”, opening up the sandbox tourism programme to fully vaccinated visitors from anywhere in the world. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has welcomed the move, which means Indonesian and Malaysian tourists can now visit the kingdom. Prior to Covid-19, Malaysia was Thailand’s second…
- Tourism News
Thailand to charge foreign arrivals 500 baht “tourism fee” from next year
Despite Thailand struggling to reboot its decimated tourism sector, the government is pushing ahead with a proposed tourism fee – and has increased it by 200 baht. The National Tourism Policy Committee originally approved a fee of 300 baht at the start of this year, which would be used to develop tourism destinations and provide tourists with insurance benefits. According…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui Plus simplified: 7 days on Samui, Phangan or Tao
As part of the widely expanded Sandbox programmes launched or revised yesterday, the Samui Plus Sandbox has simplified and diversified its rules as well. While previously the entry to Koh Samui and the nearby islands was a 14-day programme with the first few days in full quarantine and the first week staying only on Koh Samui, the new rules allow…
- Phuket News
Sandbox travellers can new enter via Krabi and Phang Nga
Krabi and Phang Nga provinces have launched their reopening programmes on October 1, welcoming international travellers into Thailand, and joining the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes. In a series of press releases yesterday evening, the Tourism Authority of Thailand outlined revisions to entry options into Thailand and explained the rules of the new Sandboxes launched yesterday. KRABI In the…
- Covid-19 News
New eased rules for travellers entering Thailand enacted
The Tourism Authority of Thailand released a slew of press releases yesterday declaring a broad revision to Sandbox and entry programs and making it easier for international travellers to enter Thailand. The two biggest revisions that just went into effect are the abolishment of an approved country list for travellers to arrive from, and shortening arrival quarantine times from 14…
- Phuket News
Officials expect tens of billions of baht in Phuket tourism revenue in next 6 months
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand expects Phuket to welcome 1 million foreign visitors in the next 6 months. Yuthasak Supasorn says this will generate around 60 billion baht in tourism revenue, as a result of some travel restrictions being relaxed. “We expect the number of visitors will significantly increase in the final quarter factoring in the quarantine…
- Pattaya News
Reopening Pattaya: Will it happen next week or not?
Depending on which government officials you are listening to and what statement they make on which day, it would be easy to believe that Thailand’s reopening is continuing on October 1, or October 15, or possibly November 1. And Pattaya is perhaps reopening in just over a week or perhaps delaying for weeks or months. So where does the reopening…
- Thailand News
5 provinces may delay reopening until November, Chiang Mai cautious
Despite some local leaders pushing hard and claiming readiness to reopen on October 1, several or all of the 5 provinces scheduled to reopen may be delayed until November 1, with Chiang Mai especially cautious about reopening. The deputy director for communications and marketing at the Tourism Authority of Thailand pointed out that the reopening plan can only go ahead in provinces…
- Tourism News
Prediction for international travellers to Thailand lowered again
Tourism researchers have once again downgraded their expectations for the total number of international travellers in 2021 after Thailand has yet to recover from the third wave of Covid-19 starting in April that brought the Delta various and huge infection numbers across the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, known for its rose-tinted predictions and press releases, had predicted in…
- Phuket News
Phuket Sandbox draws 28,000 travellers, 1.634 billion baht
The Phuket Sandbox has been lauded as a success and derided as a failure, but officials have released some raw data over the past few days that indicates the programme falls somewhere in between. Immigration and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have reported on total incoming travellers and their opinions, and the Economics Tourism and Sports Division of the Tourism and…
- Thailand News
TAT plans to launch Chiang Mai tourism plan in October
Chiang Mai is getting ready to launch a “Bubble and Sealed” tourism plan where visitors can travel to 4 districts in Chiang Mai, the northern Thai province. The plan comes by way of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The 4 districts are the Mueang District, the Mae Rim district, the Mae Taeng district, and the Doi Tao district. The opening…
- Phuket News
Phang Nga hopes to welcome 30,000 visitors under 7+7 travel scheme
Tourism officials in the southern province of Phang Nga hope to welcome 30,000 foreign tourists in the last quarter of the year. Such numbers should generate around 2.5 billion baht in revenue, according to a Bangkok Post report. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that after the opening of Certificate of Entry registration for the 7+7 extension scheme, over 700…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya reopening plan for September 1 unlikely to happen
Chiang Mai, which recently reported that, due to the Covid-19 situation and slow vaccination, they will delay their planned September reopening to October at the earliest, like many tourism areas that have seen plans to welcome back international tourists dashed by the intensity of the pandemic in Thailand. Now Pattaya has also acknowledged that their plan for reopening on September…
- Chiang Mai News
Charming Chiang Mai plan to reopen pushed to October or later
With Covid-19 still running rampant in Thailand, several tourist locations that were anticipating reopening in August or September are revising their plans to push back until October or later. Officials say that Chiang Mai will now delay their plans to reopen to international tourists due to Covid-19 issues. The deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced yesterday that…
- Tourism News
CCSA approves Sputnik vaccine, allowing Russian Sandboxers
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration quietly okayed the Russian Sputnik vaccine as one of the accepted vaccine brands for international travellers entering Sandbox destinations in Thailand. The vaccine had previously failed to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration for import and use in Thailand. The Department of Disease Control is now expected to approve the order from…
- Covid-19 News
Tourism officials hopeful mandatory quarantine can be reduced in Q4
Even as the country continues to struggle with its worst Covid-19 crisis since the start of the pandemic, the Tourism Authority of Thailand remains optimistic. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn is crossing everything that the mandatory quarantine period might be reduced to 7 days in the last quarter of the year. The Bangkok Post reports that Yuthasak’s optimistic outlook is based…
- Tourism News
TAT still pushing to launch Phuket 7+7 plan despite Covid-19
Many of the original Sandbox-style plans to reopen tourist destinations to international travellers have been delayed as Covid-19 outbreaks spread and domestic travel has been mostly shut down, but the Tourism Authority of Thailand is still hoping to launch its 7+7 model to allow Phuket Sandbox travellers to stay one week before continuing on to a handful of other destinations.…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya reopening postponed indefinitely as Covid-19 persists
The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced that the Pattaya reopening plan scheduled to launch on September 1 has been postponed indefinitely. With Covid-19 still ravaging the Chon Buri province, the TAT has conceded that it won’t be possible to reopen to international travellers safely in just 20 days. Hua Hin and other tourist areas received the same bad news from…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reservations slow down for August
Reservation bookings in the Phuket/Phuket Sandbox are slowing down for August amidst speeding up Covid cases on the island. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, an official from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says hotel reservations for August has gone down by 5% over the last couple of days. As of Thursday, a person shy of 13,000 people had visited Phuket. 30 travellers tested…
- Pattaya News
Planning for “Pattaya Move On” reopening scheme continues
Despite the high Covid-19 infection rate in Chon Buri, planning for the “Pattaya Move On” reopening programme will continue. With the ongoing spread of the virus and the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant, infecting more than 500,000 people in Thailand over the past several months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has been considering whether to postpone the reopening…
- Tourism News
Thai tourism likely to hit rock bottom this year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says both international and domestic tourism are likely to drop to an all-time low this year. The Bangkok Post reports that the TAT predicts international arrivals may only number 1 million, with domestic tourism dropping to just 50 – 60 million trips. Yuthasak Supasorn from the TAT says the target of 3 million foreign arrivals…
- Phuket News
18 infections today in Phuket creeps closer to 90/week threshold
Today saw an infection spike in new local Covid-19 cases in Phuket, crossing the daily average number that threatens the future of the Sandbox scheme. Officials had laid out several factors that could cause the Sandbox to be reconsidered or even cancelled, chief among them was if weekly infections crossed over 90 people a week. Today saw 18 new local…
- Tourism News
Bangkok Airways revises Koh Samui flights ahead of reopening
To prepare for the Samui+ reopening programme launching July 15, Bangkok Airways is revising its schedule to operate 3 inbound flights and 3 outbound flights daily between Koh Samui and Bangkok. The new schedule, released today and promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in a press release this afternoon, will feature a morning, afternoon, and evening flight option beginning…
- Phuket News
Phuket unveils “colour” festival to reinvigorate economy
In an attempt to build excitement for the reopening of Phuket, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism, working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Phuket officials, has unveiled a campaign called “The Colourful Phuket Bring Back the Happiness”. The festival is intended to bring back “engaging” activities and the touristic atmosphere of the island. The project commenced yesterday and extends to…
- Tourism News
1,324 arrive in Phuket Sandbox, government denies COE delays
The Sandbox is underway with relatively few hitches on the ground in Phuket, though the same might not be true of the approval process before international travellers depart to the southern Thai island. This weekend saw over 1,300 international travellers arrive to the Phuket Sandbox, and even with complex processes and restrictions, many are just happy to be there. Today…
- Tourism News
Despite struggles, Phuket tourists are happy to be here
One thing many forget when they’re considering the condition of Phuket for the returning international tourists is that, while we are comparing it to the pre-Covid-19 glory days of Phuket, those travelling in the first days of the Sandbox are comparing it to their life at home now. While Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on the Thai economy and tourists are…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Pfizer vax approved, IATA testing vaccine travel pass, Covid Update | June 25
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved in Thailand. The FDA has now approved 6 Covid vaccines for use in Thailand. A number of airlines worldwide are participating in trials of a Travel Pass app from the International Air Transport Association. Some minor hiccups have emerged in Phuket Sandbox just days before the reopening of Thailand for unvaccinated travellers. Meanwhile the…
- Tourism News
TAT claims 1,500 travellers arriving in Phuket July 1
The much-maligned and restriction heavy Phuket Sandbox plan might open with a bang, as the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced that 1,500 people would arrive on July 1. The governor of TAT said that international flights scheduled to arrive in Phuket on the first day of reopening have 1,500 tickets booked so far. The island intends to welcome back the…
