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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Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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British man fined for overstay after being forced into Bangkok quarantine
You take your PCR test after your stay in Thailand, before you return home to the UK. You test positive and are confined in a Bangkok hospital for 10 days. Then, to add insult to injury, you’re fined 4,000 baht for overstaying your visa when you go through immigration… purely because you were confined in hospital. This is the sad…
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Officials considering Sandbox destinations in every region – Health Minister
Along with pushing for the resumption of the Test & Go scheme, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the ministry is discussing adding more Sandbox destinations to have the entry scheme open in every region of Thailand. The ministry will make formal proposals, including lowering the Covid-19 alert level to level 3, at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration general…
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Tourism Ministry pushing for return of Test & Go from February
Thailand’s tourism minister says he’s pushing for the return of the Test & Go entry scheme, potentially as early as next month. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the resumption of the scheme could mean at least 8 million international tourists this year. The CCSA meets tomorrow to discuss easing a number of restrictions and potentially rebooting Test & Go. The Omicron variant…
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Restrictions could be eased, Covid alert lowered after CCSA meeting tomorrow
As infections continue to decline in Thailand, the government meets tomorrow to discuss the easing of a number of restrictions. The CCSA is also expected to lower the country’s Covid alert, from Level 4 to 3. It was raised earlier this month amid concerns over the highly-contagious Omicron variant. The move followed the suspension of the Test & Go entry…
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Tourism ministry to cut budget for tour package subsidy after scheme flops
The government plans to cut the budget for its tour package subsidy scheme, which received a lukewarm reception among Thais. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism & Sports Ministry will also reduce the number of tour packages available from 1 million to 200,000. Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn admits the Tour Teaw Thai scheme hasn’t really had the desired…
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The return of Test & Go? Health Minister to propose entry scheme be restored
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says he’s backing the restoration of the Test & Go entry scheme as concerns about the Omicron variant subside. Test & Go was suspended around 4 weeks ago as the highly-contagious Covid-19 variant spread around the globe. Now, Anutin Charnvirakul says he’ll ask the CCSA to consider bringing it back, as well as easing a number…
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Tourists unsure about new 300-baht fee, question how money will be spent
The jury’s out on Thailand’s new 300-baht tourism fee, with foreigners expressing reservations about its introduction. The Thai government has confirmed that all overseas arrivals will have to pay the 300-baht levy from April. Speaking to the Bangkok Post, a number of foreigners have questioned how the money will be spent. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has previously stated that the…
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Thai airlines pin their hopes on government resuming Test & Go
The president of the Airlines Association of Thailand says the government must allow the Test & Go entry scheme to resume as soon as possible. The scheme was recently suspended as the Omicron Covid-19 variant spread rapidly across the globe. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, who is also the boss of Bangkok Airways, says the scheme was working well, attracting more foreign visitors…
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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…
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Thailand Pass scam: Authorities warn not to pay third party
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a warning today via their spokesperson urging people not to be taken in by any scam attempting to charge you for registering for the Thailand Pass. The announcement came on the heels of the Covid-19 task force investigating reports of people claiming to have paid registration fees in order to apply for the…
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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…
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No cut-off date announced for Test & Go entry with pre-approved Thailand Pass
The Foreign Ministry has confirmed there is currently no cut-off entry date for Test & Go travellers who’ve already received their Thailand Pass. Test & Go has been suspended since December 22 as the Thai government responded to the rapid global spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. You would need a Test & Go program approval, and QR code, before…
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Thailand continues pushing for tourism revenue despite Covid-19
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged all government agencies to get behind the “Amazing Thailand New Chapter” tourism campaign being readied for launch by the end of January. According to a government spokesperson, the administration is pushing forward with tourism plans that the floundering economy so desperately needs, despite the growing spread of the Omicron variant and Covid-19 infections across the…
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Tourists with mild symptoms can have Covid treatment covered by Thai insurance
The government has decided to allow Thai insurance firms to offer new Covid-19 treatment packages to foreign tourists, according to a Nation Thailand report. In addition, Tares Krassanairawiwong from the Department of Health Services Support says more hotel isolation facilities, the so-called “hospitels”, will be made available to tourists with mild symptoms. Tares says that many infected tourists struggle with…
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Tourism operators call on government to delay introduction of 300-baht entry fee
Tourism operators are calling on the Thai government to delay the introduction of a 300-baht tourism fee to give the sector time to recover. The fee is due to take effect from April, with the Bangkok Post reporting that it will apply to foreigners arriving in the kingdom by land, sea, and air. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi from the Thai Hotels…
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Another 300 hotel quarantine rooms set aside for infected tourists in Phuket
As Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Phuket, the southern island is creating more self-isolation facilities for infected foreign tourists. According to a Nation Thailand report, cases are surging on the island, with new infection numbers rising from 238 last Wednesday to 742 on Sunday. Most infections are cases of local transmission, but infections are being reported in sandbox tourists…
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Rejuvenated Maya Bay open for business
Maya Bay, the tropical island cove of Hollywood acclaim in Krabi province, finally reopened for tourism on January 1, after 3-and-a-half years of closure in a bid to restore its damaged white-sand beach and decimated marine ecosystem. Officials temporarily closed the bay in June 2018 to clean the beach and restore the area’s coral reefs. Originally planned as a 4…
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6 European tourists found who disappeared after positive Covid-19 test
After a brief hunt, 6 European tourists who were tested for Covid-19 and left their hotel before the results were returned, test results which came back positive, have now all been located and moved to the hospital. Authorities rounded up 2 French tourists, 2 Polish tourists, a Swiss tourist, and a Norwegian tourist. The 6 tourists had all come to…
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6 more Covid-19 infected tourist on the run from Koh Chang
Apparently the 2,000 baht fine for the first tourist to ditch out of his hotel while waiting for RT-PCR test results was not as big a deterrent as Thai authorities thought as there now been a number of copycat runners that authorities have had to hunt down. Just 2 days ago, officials were able to track down 2 Indian tourists…
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69 provinces now “orange” zones with ban on alcohol sales at restaurants
Restrictions are tightening in a number of Thai provinces. Thailand’s Covid-19 task force revised its colour-coded zoning based on local infection rates and decided to classify 69 of Thailand’s 77 provinces as “orange” zones under tight control to curb the spread of Covid-19. The new zoning goes into effect on Sunday. The other provinces will remain classified as “blue” zone provinces,…
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Phuket governor vows to iron out issues with sandbox requirements
The governor of Phuket has pledged to sort out a number of issues with the island’s sandbox scheme as infection rates continue to rise. According to a Bangkok Post report, Narong Woosiew says the matters identified will lead to improvements, adding that he will soon introduce “Phuket Sandbox Version 2“. “Currently, the local economy is doing well due to the…
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Restaurant alcohol sales, tightening quarantine on CCSA agenda today
It’s an all-too familiar scenario at this stage, and one that will have restaurateurs and others in the hospitality and tourism sectors putting their heads in their hands. While we must emphasise that nothing is confirmed yet, the CCSA meets today to consider a number of tough curbs proposed by the Public Health Ministry. Based on Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s…
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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…
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Test & Go suspension results in mass cancellations for remainder of high season
Thailand’s high season looks to be over already, with tourism operators reporting a surge in cancellations and plummeting hotel occupancy. The development follows the government’s decision to suspend the Test & Go entry scheme amid concerns about the highly-contagious Omicron variant, which is rapidly spreading around the world. The Bangkok Post reports that tourism operators are reporting a rise in…
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Indian tourists who left Chon Buri before receiving positive test result found in Bangkok
Like wanted criminals, the mugshots of two Indian travellers were posted on a graphic released by the Chon Buri Health Department. Why? Because they tested positive for Covid-19. And after a search highly publicised in Thai media, the 30 year old and 32 year old were found in Bangkok. The two travellers entered Thailand through the Test & Go quarantine…
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No confirmed date for resumption of Test & Go as Omicron infections spread
The government currently has no plans to resume the Test & Go scheme, which allows vaccinated travellers from approved countries to enter Thailand with minimal quarantine. Travellers who have already been approved for the Thailand Pass through Test & Go must enter the country by January 10. After that, the only way in will be through the sandbox scheme, currently…
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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…
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Government to discuss delaying resumption of Test & Go until end of January
Following an inevitable rise in cases of the Omicron variant in Thailand, the government will discuss postponing the resumption of the Test & Go entry scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that the scheme was originally suspended due to concern over mounting Omicron infections globally. However, imported Omicron cases have now been detected in people arriving through Test &…
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“Thailand Trusted Destination” certification aimed at luring tourists
“Thailand Trusted Destination” is the latest campaign in a long line of schemes government authorities have launched as they attempt to lure international travellers back to Thailand, even amid Omicron uncertainty. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports launched the campaign in a bid to increase the standards of tourism in the country. The project aims to build confidence in travellers…
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Buckle-up for new year flight turbulence
New Year’s Eve mirrors Christmas Eve this year, and the days between, with world travel being disrupted – from cruises to flights, and everything in between. More than 8,000 flights have been cancelled since Christmas Eve in the US, alone. What was to have been the busiest period for travel for US citizens since the start of the pandemic, airline…
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