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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Sponsored Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Here’s your health checklist before the move
Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Thailand is a popular choice for retirees because of its beautiful landscapes, warm climate, and affordable living. Cities like Chiang Mai and coastal areas offer a relaxed lifestyle with friendly communities. The country also...
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Thailand’s richest man buys Pattaya hotel, expects tourism will rebound
Thailand’s richest man is expects tourism will rebound quickly. He’s so confident, that he’s now investing in hotels, including a hotel in Pattaya. Asset World Corp., the property arm of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s TCC Group, purchased a Pattaya hotel this month. The company is now searching for more properties. With the drastic slowdown of international travel over the past…
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Thai quarantine confusion – do ASQ hotels know about April 1 changes?
A gentleman from Sacramento, California, 43 years old, wanted to come to Thailand for Songkran, and then some further exploration. But, with all the changes announced by the government, the restrictions imposed recently for Songkran celebrations, and the hotels still advertising for 14 day quarantines, he’s found it a complete minefield. His main complaint – people ‘on the ground’ don’t…
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July re-opening for Phuket expected to get government approval today
Today, the government is expected to approve a quarantine-free re-opening for the southern island of Phuket from July. However, the re-opening does require the island to have achieved herd immunity status by vaccinating 70% of its population before then. Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow says the Centre for Economic Situation Administration will consider the plan at its meeting later today, which…
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Accelerated vaccination plan for Phuket, Koh Samui recommended by tourism sector
Those in Thailand’s tourism and airline industries are pushing for an accelerated vaccination plan for Phuket and Koh Samui as well as for those in those in the tourism sector. With Phuket set to reopen under the “sandbox” model in July, tourism and airline representatives also ask for a clear timeline for reopening the country to foreign travellers. In a…
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Tour bus operators in Phuket call for government help after a year of no work
Tour bus operators on the southern island of Phuket are calling for government assistance as they face ongoing legal action over missed lease payments on their equipment. Some operators say the threat of bankruptcy looms over them after a year of unemployment. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with tourism on Phuket, but tour bus operators say they have never…
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Phuket approves quarantine-free stays for foreign travellers from July 1
Foreign travellers to Phuket can enjoy their stays free from quarantine restrictions starting July 1. Today, the infectious disease committee approved the plan to allow foreign tourists to skip quarantines on the premises that local Phuket residents will be inoculated before then, as part of plans to achieve a herd immunity. The plan was supposed to be originally submitted this…
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“We Travel Together” plan to boost domestic tourism expanded
Thai lawmakers are giving the third phase of the government’s “We Travel Together” scheme a green light to continue boosting domestic tourism. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha along with other lawmakers approved the scheme, titled “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” in Thai, which is a programme that subsidises hotel bookings. The scheme’s third phase is set to cover an additional 2 million people…
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Airlines in Thailand push for July reopening and quicker roll out of vaccinations for employees
Airline operators in Thailand are seeking a July reopening date and are pushing to get workers vaccinated against Covid-19 within the next 2 months, along the same timeline as many in the travel sector prepare for July’s anticipated launch of the “sandbox” scheme in Phuket. Under the sandbox model, vaccinated travellers will be able to travel to the island province…
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Banyan Tree Krabi – Bringing Thailand’s luxury brand to Krabi
Krabi is a fabulous place to stay and home to some of Thailand’s most beautiful views and landscapes. Some of Thailand’s best known brands have already built resorts in the area but there was one of Thailand’s key hospitality brands missing… the iconic luxury brand of Banyan Tree. But here it is, after just over two years of painstaking and…
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Thai hoteliers want Emergency Decree to be used to speed up vaccines
Thailand’s hoteliers are wanting the Emergency Decree to be used to speed up vaccinations to fast track the scheduled reopening of the country by July. They say PM Prayut should use the power of the decree to let companies import vaccines with the FDA helping the move by approving more vaccines at reasonable prices. William Heinecke, founder and chairman of…
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Phuket to present reopening plan this Friday with fingers crossed
Phuket is expected to present a reopening plan for approval that would allow vaccinated tourists visit without undergoing quarantine starting in July. The plan will be submitted to the Centre for Economic Situation Administration this Friday. Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says the Phuket Tourism Sandbox plan can only be successful if the Andaman island achieves…
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Phuket and Koh Samui request bulk deliveries of AstraZeneca Covid vaccines
Now Thailand’s Covid vaccine roll out has begun, it is starting to gather speed. The southern resort islands of Phuket and Koh Samui have made requests to the Public Health Ministry for enough doses to vaccinate the majority of the islands’ residents in anticipation of an early return to some semblance of tourism. Both holiday islands have a high reliance…
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Health minister says locals on Phuket and Koh Samui will be vaccinated before tourists return
Thailand’s health minister is reassuring the public that there will be enough vaccines to immunise locals, particularly on the popular holiday islands Phuket and Koh Samui, before Thailand reopens to foreign tourists. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says 800,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine arrived in Thailand over the weekend. He says 100,000 doses will go to Phuket and…
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Pattaya bar owners waiting for CCSA to allow later closing hours
Pattaya bar owners are waiting for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to allow businesses to close at later times, as a decision is expected today to reveal new provincial risk assessments. If Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is determined to be a “green” zone by the CCSA, the businesses would be allowed to stay open past midnight, with…
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Civil Aviation Authority to consider airlines’ requests to ease some Covid measures
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has singled out 8 Thai airlines it still has faith in and believes will stay afloat. The CAAT says that without the Covid-19 crisis, none of the carriers risked going bankrupt and the tough financial situation they find themselves in is solely due to the pandemic. The Bangkok Post reports that the 8 airlines,…
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Krabi businesses battle to survive the tourist crisis | VIDEO
Ao Nang beach, usually a thriving hub for backpackers and day trippers, is doing it tough. But the local business people want you to know that it’s open for business and the area is still beautiful and more more pristine than ever. There are currently 5 airlines flying into Krabi at the moment, most with multiple flights each day. That…
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Be a private island castaway on Koh Munnork, Thailand | VIDEO
Stranded on your very own private island in Thailand. Well, not quite stranded. Chris takes us on a tour of the relatively tiny Koh Munnork (Munnork Island), off the coast of Rayong in east Thailand. The prices for a stay on the private island vary and usually start around 10,000 baht a night but there’s always promotions on and, depending…
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The end is in sight: CCSA hints at October for lifting restrictions, re-opening Thailand
The Thai government’s Covid-19 task force says that, provided people continue to cooperate with efforts to keep the virus suppressed, the country will re-open fully by October and all restrictions will be lifted. The announcement brings a ray of hope to many, not least everyone in the tourism sector. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledges that…
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Thailand tourism officials talk of potential travel bubble with China
With restrictions in Beijing easing and plans to issue digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates to Chinese nationals, there may soon be a travel bubble between Thailand and China, allowing those vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel between the countries without quarantine. Just yesterday, the Chinese government announced it would issue the digital certificates to help citizens travelling overseas, a move that…
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Work on Maya Bay jetty nearly complete, but officials say, “not yet” to re-opening
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has responded to pleas for Maya Bay to re-open by telling local officials to wait. Krabi authorities are anxious for the famed beauty spot to re-open as they desperately try to revive tourism in the province. The bay has been closed since 2018 after conservationists determined that a break from visitors…
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Thailand government hopes to reopen by October
Thailand is hoping to open its doors to the world by October this year, according to an assistant spokesperson at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. But there are still several hoops to jump through, with the spokesperson treading carefully with her words. Apisamai Srirangsan made the announcement but said the revelation was just a goal and “not a set…
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An exotic animal café in Bangkok – Foxes, racoons, kangaroos and more! | VIDEO
Here is an animal café in Bangkok that animal lovers, dogs and cats and a whole lot more, don’t want to miss. There are all the usual naughty and playful animals, our fluffy loyal domestic dog and cat companions, but there’s also raccoons, a Fennec fox, Arctic fox, meerkats, an Australian wallaby, squirrels, dogs, cats, and more. The Little Zoo…
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Thailand to reduce quarantine to 7 days, meeting to confirm next Monday | VIDEO
ASQ, changes for people arriving in Thailand. After 12 months of forcing foreign travellers into a 14 day mandatory stay in a hotel, at their expense, as part of the Alternative State Quarantine program… better know as the ASQ… the Thai government have slightly relented in a revised ASQ. The updated quarantine is a response to immense pressure from the…
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Travellers undergoing yacht quarantine to wear wristbands to track location and monitor health
Foreign tourists travelling to Thailand by yacht and undergoing the mandatory quarantine period onboard the vessel will be asked to wear a smart wristband to monitor their health and track their location. The Digital Economy Promotion Agency teamed up with Advanced Info Service, known as AIS, and Phuket tourism operators to launch the so-called “Digital Yacht Quarantine” programme. Apparently, tourist…
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Chiang Mai hotels slash prices amid ongoing slump in tourism
Hotels in the northern province of Chiang Mai have been forced to cut their rates by up to 90%, in a desperate bid to attract more domestic tourists. According to a Bangkok Post report, La-Iad Bungsrithong, from the northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, says with tourists mainly favouring the southern beach destinations this month, hotel operators in the…
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The Area Hotel Quarantine – tweaking Thailand’s arrival options
We spoke about the new proposal for an Area Hotel Quarantine last Friday and in Thailand News Today. The mandatory 14 day quarantine (magically extended a couple of days at many facilities at the foreigner’s cost) remains the key sticking point for the return of tourists or travellers, in any significant or useful numbers. A number of visas and quarantine…
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OPINION – Vaccinating against Covid-19, why wouldn’t you?
by Andrew J. Wood The World Health Organisation not only advises that vaccines save millions of lives each year, but they also reduce transmissions. They and their partners are working together on tracking the pandemic, advising on critical interventions and distributing vital medical supplies to those in need, thereby reducing the number of infected people to transmit the virus. Vaccines…
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Updates on international travel to Thailand
Thailand to introduce “area quarantine” for international visitors from April From next month, foreign visitors to the Kingdom will be able to experience the delights of “area quarantine”, after the government confirmed the scheme for 5 provinces: Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Surat Thani, which includes the popular tourist islands Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan. Some of…
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Thai Air Asia urges government to re-open the country to foreign tourism
The low-cost carrier, Thai Air Asia, is calling on the government to accelerate the re-opening of the country to international tourism. TAA chief executive Santisuk Klongchaiya says Thailand risks losing its status as a regional hub if the country does not re-open soon in order to re-ignite tourism and airlines. According to a Bangkok Post report, he warns that Thailand…
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First golf quarantine guests complete stay at central Thailand resort
Thailand has hosted the first group of international tourists to carry out a “golf quarantine” stay. 42 golfers (41 from South Korea and 1 from Japan) flew into Thailand on February 19, entering quarantine at the Artitaya Golf Resort in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. Guests following Thailand’s golf quarantine programme are required to remain in their rooms for…
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