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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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Thai Airways appoint new CEO | Thaiger

    Thai Airways appoint new CEO

    Thai Airways appointed CFO Chai Eamsiri as CEO. Chai will take up his new role on February 1. Chai was chosen from 53 internal and external candidates, including domestic and international aviation executives. The recruitment processes involved psychometric testing for leadership capability. Applicants also presented their vision for the company to the selection committee. With an MBA from Kasetsart University…

  • Hua Hin International Jazz Festival coming up | Thaiger

    Hua Hin International Jazz Festival coming up

    The Hua Hin International Jazz Festival is coming up, with more than 30 artists from around the world en route to perform at the renowned tourism hotspot. Several local artists and bands will also be performing. The festival will be held from December 2-3 on Suan Son Pradit beach, in front of the Seapine Recreation Centre. Musicians will perform from…

  • Tour operators reluctant to fund staff training | Thaiger

    Tour operators reluctant to fund staff training

    Around a quarter of tourism businesses want to increase their workforces, but tour operators are reluctant to fund staff training, concerned about volatile demand. Bosses want taxpayers to pay their training expenses for them, according to the National Institute of Development Administration. Tourism is perhaps the biggest driver of the Thai economy. Employers who can afford to say they want…

  • Tourists and seagulls flock to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand | Thaiger

    Tourists and seagulls flock to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand

    Tourists and seagulls are flocking to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand. At Don Hoi Lot, a sandbar in Samut Songkhram province, crowds of excited tourists are gathering to feed the birds fried chicken and pork skins from 5pm until sunset. Hundreds of seagulls arrived at Don Hoi Lot late last month, according to locals. Tourists are excited…

  • Hotel loan program extended through June 2023 | Thaiger

    Hotel loan program extended through June 2023

    Hotels trying to recover from closing down for the Covid-19 pandemic are getting a little extra financial help. The Thai Cabinet has decided to extend low-interest soft loans until June 2023. The loans were created to help hotels address property repairs after many opted to close when customers dried up because the borders closed amid the pandemic. The announcement was…

  • Fate of Thai baht depends on return of Chinese tourists, economists say | Thaiger

    Fate of Thai baht depends on return of Chinese tourists, economists say

    The Thai baht has been flying recently but its upward trend could draw to a standstill unless Chinese tourists return to the Kingdom of Thailand, according to economists. In the past month, the baht appreciated almost 6% against the US dollar as reports indicated the US Federal Reserve (Fed) would slow down its aggressive interest rate hikes. Despite inflation, a reinvigorated…

  • Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand | Thaiger

    Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand

    Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget subsidiary Hong Kong Express are boosting flights to three major tourist destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. Cathay’s Hong Kong – Bangkok route will be increased from twice to four times per day next month, according to Chairman of Cathay Pacific Patrick Healy. In January, the airline will…

  • Charter flights to Phuket and Pattaya filled with Russian tourists | Thaiger

    Charter flights to Phuket and Pattaya filled with Russian tourists

    Charter flights to Thailand’s hotspots of Phuket and Pattaya are being filled with Russian tourists. The chairman of the Chonburi Council of Tourism Industry, Thanet Suparashasrangsi, said… “The Azur Airline will start bringing in charter flights from November 26 on B757 carriers, which can hold about 202 passengers and will improve the number of tourists in Pattaya significantly.” Russia’s Ikar…

  • PM Prayut predicts tourism boom from hosting APEC | Thaiger

    PM Prayut predicts tourism boom from hosting APEC

    When trying to decide where to take our holiday vacation, sure we probably all think the same thing: what would APEC do? Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha believes that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit that just wrapped up in Bangkok will give a big boost to international tourism for Thailand. A spokesperson for the government said today that the prime…

  • Road 3 in Nan: a picturesque new tourist spot | Thaiger

    Road 3 in Nan: a picturesque new tourist spot

    We’ve all taken long road trips to get to a cool tourist attraction. But what if the road is the attraction? In the Nan province, a scenic patch of roadway called Road 3 is becoming a popular and very photogenic tourist destination. Highway 1081 cut through the beautiful hillsides of the northern province connecting the Bo Kluea district to the…

  • Pattaya International Fireworks Festival coming up next week | Thaiger

    Pattaya International Fireworks Festival coming up next week

    Fireworks lovers should mark their calendars for the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival coming up next week. The festival will be held from November 25-26 on Pattaya Beach, and the fireworks will light up the entire city. Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches says the festival will feature more than 600 street stalls selling all kinds of items. There will be pyrotechnic teams…

  • Phuket expects 1 billion baht revenue boost from yacht tourism | Thaiger

    Phuket expects 1 billion baht revenue boost from yacht tourism

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted the Thailand Charter Week 2022 at Phuket Yacht Haven Marina on Wednesday in a bid to boost nautical tourism. The TAT believes accommodating the sailing community in Phuket will generate 1 billion baht in revenue. The Deputy Governor of the Domestic Marketing Department of TAT, Thapanee Kiatpaiboon, revealed that the Thailand Charter Week…

  • Rich pickings – Emirates to offer first-class vegan meals | Thaiger

    Rich pickings – Emirates to offer first-class vegan meals

    In celebration of World Vegan Day on November 1, and to please members of the growing vegan community rich enough to travel first-class, Emirates Airlines now offers first-class vegan meals. Unfortunately, the fanfare around plant-based meals will not be heard by ordinary passengers in a coach who will still have to order in advance or eat (or avoid) the mystery…

  • New direct flight from Oman makes its way to Phuket | Thaiger

    New direct flight from Oman makes its way to Phuket

    A new direct flight from Oman made its way to Phuket International Airport on Monday. The Oman Air flight arrived in Phuket from Muscat, Oman’s capital. The flight carried a total of 162 passengers, who received HKT souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. Phuket has seen a number of new direct flights arrive recently. The flagship airline of Russia…

  • Lush lotus flowers in Northern Thai province draw tourists | Thaiger

    Lush lotus flowers in Northern Thai province draw tourists

    Lush pink lotus flowers in one northern Thai province are drawing tourists to the area. Bueng Boraphet, a lake and swamp in Nakhon Sawan province, currently has lotuses covering an area of over 100 rai. A staffer at the Bueng Boraphet Wildlife Sanctuary Office said the lotuses have been blooming since early this month. The staffer said the lotuses are…

  • Free concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket | Thaiger

    Free concert with renowned Russian Jazz artist coming to Phuket

    Jazz lovers in Phuket will soon have an opportunity to attend a free concert with a renowned Russian jazz artist, Igor Butman. Butman is known as a virtuoso saxophonist. The concert, titled “Igor Butman and Friends,” will be held at Karon Beach on Friday, December 13, at 6.45pm. The concert is being held as part of the 125th anniversary of…

  • Island off Pattaya sees 20,000 tourists over weekend | Thaiger

    Island off Pattaya sees 20,000 tourists over weekend

    An island off Pattaya well known as a vacation hotspot saw at least 20,000 tourists over the past weekend. The cluster of young and old tourists swarmed to the island of Koh Larn, flocking to its Ta Waen Beach. The tourists enjoyed traditional Thai massage, as well as food, umbrellas, and other services offered at the beach. Pattaya City has…

  • High hotel occupancy in northern Thai province as golden flowers bloom | Thaiger

    High hotel occupancy in northern Thai province as golden flowers bloom

    There’s been a high hotel occupancy in Thailand’s northern province of Mae Hong Son now that its signature golden flowers are in bloom. The provincial tourism office chief said that hotels and resorts are reporting up to 75% occupancy. This, he said, is a much higher occupancy rate than the rates seen during other times of the year. Tourists are…

  • SpiceJet launches new direct flight between Thailand and India | Thaiger

    SpiceJet launches new direct flight between Thailand and India

    Budget Indian airline SpiceJet launched direct flights between Pune in India and Bangkok in Thailand operating four days per week. SpiceJet also flies directly from Bangkok to Delhi and Kolkata. A Boeing 737 will operate the Pune – Bangkok service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight SG 82 will depart from the sprawling Indian city of Pune, just south of…

  • TAT promotes Thailand on London bus | Thaiger

    TAT promotes Thailand on London bus

    Tourism officials launched a new campaign promoting sunny Thailand in cloudy London as winter approaches. A London double-decker bus now has the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s “amazing THAILAND” logo written across it in pink. Beneath the logo are images of boats in the sea, with the hashtags #AmazingThailand and #AlwaysWarm, as seen in photos by Pattaya Mail. TAT’s new…

  • Aeroflot adds 14 more weekly Russian flights to Phuket | Thaiger

    Aeroflot adds 14 more weekly Russian flights to Phuket

    Less than two weeks after Russian airlines made their triumphant return to Phuket, Aeroflot has announced an increase in direct flights to the island. The flagship airline of Russia announced yesterday that it would be adding 14 new flights a week from Russia to Phuket. The exact start date of these new flights has not yet been confirmed, but the…

  • 57k passengers – 49k international – arriving at Suvarnabhumi daily | Thaiger

    57k passengers – 49k international – arriving at Suvarnabhumi daily

    Tourism is ramping up in Thailand. Bangkok’s primary airport and the main international hub of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, reported 57,000 international travellers arriving on Thursday. That number is inching shockingly close to 60,000 people a day that was arriving each day before the Covid-19 pandemic. The National reported that 25 international flights arrived, with 49,000 out of the 57,000 total…

  • Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far | Thaiger

    Russians the biggest tourist group in Phuket in November so far

    Russians have made up Phuket’s biggest group of tourists so far in November. From November 1-10, Phuket saw 18,370 Russian tourists. The total number of foreign tourists was 75,247, The Phuket Express reported. The next top four countries for tourism in Phuket were: India with 8,939 tourists, Australia with 5,275 tourists, the UK with 4,511 tourists, and Germany with 4,152…

  • Thailand welcomes 50,000 foreign tourists in one day | Thaiger

    Thailand welcomes 50,000 foreign tourists in one day

    Nearly 50,000 foreign tourists arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand yesterday. Reassuring statistics reported by immigration indicate a revival of Thailand’s tourism industry, although arrivals are still nowhere near close to hitting pre-pandemic levels. Today, Commander of the Immigration Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimphadee confirmed that the picture of a giant queue at immigration posted on social media is…

  • Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin | Thaiger

    Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin

    Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach. The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than…

  • A cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t bank on it anytime soon | Thaiger

    A cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t bank on it anytime soon

    Looking for a cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t count on it just yet says airline industry executives. The world’s industry chiefs made known, as if we didn’t already know, that airfares are expensive and they expect to remain that way for the time being. Flights are pricey for a number of reasons, ranging from surging fuel costs, labour shortages, and…

  • Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night | Thaiger

    Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night

    Hotels in Thailand should charge foreign tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery, suggests outspoken American-Thai hotel tycoon and billionaire Bill Heinecke. Heinecke is the founder of the Minor Group, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide. In an open letter addressed to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Heinecke said the…

  • First LOT Polish Airlines flight arrives in Phuket | Thaiger

    First LOT Polish Airlines flight arrives in Phuket

    Phuket International airport welcomed its first LOT Polish Airlines flight yesterday. The flight carried 252 passengers from Warsaw to Phuket. Officials and staff greeted the passengers and handed them HKT We Care souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after an inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket on Sharq Airlines just last week. The flight carried…

  • Tourists flood to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivities | Thaiger

    Tourists flood to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivities

    Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is teeming with foreign and domestic tourists looking to experience the magical Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivities from November 7-9. The fusion of Loy Krathong traditions with a night sky glittering with Yi Peng lanterns creates an unmissable atmosphere that draws people to the city year in and year out. During October, Chiang Mai…

  • Hundreds of tourists climb Chiang Mai mountain for glorious sunrise view | Thaiger

    Hundreds of tourists climb Chiang Mai mountain for glorious sunrise view

    The glorious view of one mountain in Thailand’s iconic northern province of Chiang Mai drew hundreds of tourists yesterday. The tourists crowded the summit of the 1,100-metre peak to watch the sunrise through the mountain’s misty fog. The mountain now expects to see more visitors in the coming months, since Thais like the cool new year temperatures and the Covid-19…