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 Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Foreign embassies stop issuing visa extension letters
A number of embassies in Bangkok are saying that they won’t issue any further visa extension letters for their citizens when Thailand’s visa amnesty expires on July 31. An announcement published last week by the US embassy said American citizens residing in Thailand will have to decide whether to stay or leave, as it will no longer provide extension of…
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Flight restrictions clarified amid new Covid-19 fears
Due to the recent imported cases of Covid-19 , which included a 9 year old girl from Sudan and an Egyptian soldier who breached quarantine to go shopping in Rayong province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is clarifying the entry process for several groups of foreigners. Thailand is currently not accepting general tourists or travellers and is unlikely to in…
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Thailand’s domestic tourism provided 4 times the number of international travellers in 2019
Thailand has had plenty of interruptions to its tourism industry over the past two decades… There was that other coronavirus scare, ‘SARS’, in 2003, the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the global recession and riots in Thailand in 2009, major flooding at the end of 2011, political demonstration in 2013 and 2014, the bloodless military coup of May, 2014, the bombing…
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Entertainment industry calls for 2am closing times
A leading representative of Thailand’s entertainment and nightlife industry is urging the Department of Disease Control to allow the country’s entertainment venues to close at 2 am instead of the current closing time of midnight. The meeting was held yesterday at the Chatuchak Newspaper building and called “Brainstorming to help save the economy and revive tourism.” Thanawat Srisuk, the industry…
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Koh Lan to get “neo” branding to attract tourists
The popular resort island of Koh Lan, about 8 kilometres off the Pattaya coast in the Gulf of Thailand, will become “Neo Koh Lan”, as Pattaya is being upgraded as a tourism and investment hub under the Thai government’s poster economic project, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme. Pattaya’s mayor says the island, along with Koh Sichang (north of Koh Lan)…
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Travel bubbles may be postponed “indefinitely”
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand now says the proposed “travel bubble” scheme, which could have allowed limited numbers of tourist arrivals from designated “low risk” countries, may have to be “postponed indefinitely”, after its 3 target partners – China, Japan and South Korea – experienced new outbreaks of Covid-19. On Tuesday, the CAAT’s director-general told reporters he expected Thailand…
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One third of tourism businesses could go under due to Covid-19
The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand is warning that close to a third of tourism-related businesses are likely to be permanently shuttered in the second half of this year, due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Chairat Trirattanajarasporn says many will simply run out of liquidity to keep their businesses afloat and be forced to close up…
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“Travel bubbles” to require minimum 2 week stay
“Travel bubble” tourists who visit Thailand during its soft and timid reopening phase, tentatively scheduled for August, may have to spend 14 days in designated areas. Then, a negative test for Covid-19 after 2 weeks would free them up to go anywhere in the Kingdom. Thailand’s tourism and sports minister says he’s met with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha about creating travel…
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Facebook group names and shames “farang prices”
In days gone by, a foreigner visiting a national park or tourist site could often expect to be charged several times the price charged to a local. Now, thanks to a Facebook community naming and shaming venues that apply “farang prices” to foreign visitors, those days are, well, numbered. Members of the 2PriceThailand Facebook group are warning each other about…
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Long weekend sees 1.4 million domestic tourists take to the road
After months of tight restrictions on travel, the recent long weekend provided us all with a chance to get out and explore Thailand. And it appears we did just that, with 1.42 million residents travelling over the course of the extended weekend. Temples, national parks, and beaches around the country all welcomed crowds of domestic tourists, both Thai and foreigners.…
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Phuket officials visit Kamala restaurant after customer charged 6,750 baht
A seafood restaurant in Kamala, a west coast town in Phuket, has received strong criticism on social media after trying to charge a customer 6,750 baht for a takeaway meal. 3,000 baht of the bill was a “cooking fee”. Lalita Chaiyasit took to social media to vent her disbelief after receiving the bill. She says she was on holiday with…
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What will happen to foreigners with expired visas after July 31?
Before you read further, seeking a definitive answer, we don’t have one. But stranded foreigners, who have been able to stay in Thailand via a visa amnesty, have an approaching D-Day – July 31, 2020. This is the sunset of the current amnesty for foreigners who have, through no fault of their own, been stuck in Thailand whilst the borders…
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“Travel bubble” scheme likely to be delayed
Thailand’s “travel bubble” scheme, which would allow limited numbers of certain groups of tourists from nations or areas deemed Covid-19 free by the World Health Organisation, now appears likely to be delayed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced the delay after several countries, that were considered for the scheme, have now seen resurgences of the virus. The CAAT’s…
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The transformation of Thai hotels under the ‘new normal’ – CBRE
The full impact from Covid-19 could be prolonged, even after the actual virus is finally brought under control. CBRE, an international property consultant, expects Thailand’s hotel industry will undergo inevitable changes as part of the ‘new normal’. A new report says there will be an added emphasis on hygiene, a redefined restaurant concept, new partnerships and design alterations in line…
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Thailand to welcome 1,700 medical tourists starting this month
Later this month, Thailand is throwing open its doors to international visitors arriving for medical procedures. Up to 1,700 medical tourists will reportedly be admitted under strict conditions, but will be free to travel the country once they’ve completed a 14 day quarantine period, which could be concurrent with their medical treatment. Only those who arrive in the country by…
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Thai VietJet offers 50% off baggage and domestic flight discounts
Thai VietJet is reportedly offering a 50% discount on baggage fees for passengers travelling between Bangkok and Krabi or Phuket until July 31. The savings comes after the airline also slashed domestic flight prices by 50%, hoping to gain more customers as the local budget airlines position themselves for the recovery of flights and tourism. VietJet have a reputation for…
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New police division to track tourists’ movements in fight against Covid-19
A new division of the Royal Thai Police is being formed to monitor tourists’ movements as part of the ongoing suppression of the Covid-19 virus. According to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, the newly-created department, named the Covid-19 Investigation Division, will reportedly monitor both foreign tourists and repatriated Thai citizens. The news comes as Thailand is beginning to gradually lift…
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Domestic tourism stimulus package registration starts July 15
Thai nationals, who are 18 years or older, can start registering for the domestic tourism stimulus package on July 15. The government’s “Rao Tiew Dauy Kan” (We Travel Together) scheme entitles 5 million Thais to discounts on hotels and eating out, while 2 million can get rebates on flight tickets. A report in the Nation Thailand says the arrangement will…
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Thai PM expresses concern over “travel bubbles”
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed serious concerns about the resumption of international travel under the “travel bubble” scheme, stressing that Thailand must implement a vigorous arrivals screening protocol. The scheme is a proposed limited resumption of international travel to and from countries with a reciprocal agreement. The Thai government has indicated it has taken a risk-averse stance with future Covid-19…
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Thailand gets quarantine “red light” from UK, “green light” from EU
Despite reaching 41 days without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, Thailand is still designated as a “red light” country and Thais arriving in England will still be required to self-isolate for 14 days. Updated guidelines published on the UK Government website on Friday list 59 countries and territories for which no quarantine will apply, starting July 10. Thailand, earlier…
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Hospital director proposes importing overseas Covid-19 patients for treatment
With the Covid-19 situation in Thailand apparently well in hand (there have been no locally transmitted cases for well over a month), a hospital director in Bangkok is proposing flying in patients from abroad for treatment at his hospital. The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital is considering medical flights to bring international Covid-19 cases to the hospital for treatment, in an…
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Thailand targeting specific Chinese provinces for “tourism bubble”
Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports says his ministry will target specific provinces in China in a bid to attract tourists back to the resort island of Phuket as travel restrictions are gradually eased. Pipat Ratchakijprakarn says the ministry will not splash out money launching a tourist campaign all across China but rather target some of the many provinces that…
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Bangkok’s shopping malls struggle under tourist ban, fierce competition
Suvarnabhumi, the name of Bangkok’s second international airport, means “realm of gold,” and was given by His Majesty the late King Rama IX to Bangkok’s eastern outskirts (technically in Samut Prakhan province), once a marshland called Nong Nguhao (Cobra Swamp). With its overtones of wealth, the name represents the hopes of developers, who are turning the area into a retail…
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Medical, wellness tourists will be first to be allowed in: CCSA
The government plans to allow local tours for overseas medical and wellness tourists beginning this month, and the start of tourism “travel bubbles” in September. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said medical and wellness tourists will be welcomed from this month on. If they are properly handled during their 14 day quarantine and treatment at…
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Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic
Northern Thailand’s gateway airport is recovering some of its flight and passenger traffic. With the easing of travel restrictions enforced to fight the spread of Covid-19, the director of Chiang Mai’s international airport says traffic is picking up, and more flights and passengers are expected this month. On average, the airport received 40 flights and about 4,000-5,000 passengers per day…
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Thai government offering more aid to rural areas and domestic tourism
The government says it’s looking at expanding its domestic tourism stimulus package to assist rural economies while helping airlines and others in the tourism sector with soft loans. Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says urgent measures are needed to create jobs for those who have returned to their home provinces after losing their livelihoods as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.…
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Bangkok’s Ying Charoen wet market reopens after fire
Most of the Ying Charoen market in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district reopened after fire destroyed about 160 stalls. Earlier estimates put the number at around 50 stalls. No injuries were reported. The blaze in the 30 rai compound reportedly began at a bakery at about 3am and quickly spread to nearby stalls. It took firefighters about 2 hours to control…
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World travel business faces slow recovery – UN report
Plenty of businesses are suffering and recovery will be slow, and lumpy. One of the hardest hit, and probably one of the most difficult industries to re-start, is the world travel business. Hotels, airlines, tour companies, travel agencies and online booking systems… and the millions of people employed to make all those work together as a working machine. Now a…
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“We Tour Together” launched to boost domestic tourism
The government has announced its “Rao Thieu Duaykan” (We Tour Together) program, created as a stimulus boost to domestic tourism and help the travel and hospitality sectors battered by closures and bans in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. From July 15, Thai citizens can apply for a government subsidy to cover part of their hotel and dining expenses when travelling…
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Thailand sets new guidelines to govern “medical tourism”
Thailand’s medical community is rolling out a set of guidelines for medical tourism as the country prepares to open its borders to international visitors. According to the director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, yesterday’s first meeting of the medical hub committee resulted in 3 decisions. The first outcome from the meeting set a new policy pertaining to quarantine…
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