travel
- Northern Thailand News
Alcohol restrictions ease in some Nakhon Ratchasima districts, tourism scheme launches
Seven districts in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima will be easing alcohol restrictions as a pilot tourism scheme launches. Restaurants that pass SHA stands will be allowed to serve alcoholic drinks until 10pm. Pubs, clubs, karaoke, entertainment venues, and massage parlors remain closed. According to the deputy governor Chusak Chunkoh, seven districts in Nakhon Ratchasima province, formerly knowns as Korat,…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok to organise New Year’s festival followed by Buddhist chanting ceremony
Bangkok city officials are planning New Year’s events, but under Covid-19 measures. A New Year’s festival is planned for December 31 and a Buddhist chanting ceremony is planned for the following day, according to the deputy permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The spokesperson says the events will be under the universal Covid-19 measures. The two-day event will be…
- Thailand News
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha vows to prevent Omicron from reaching Thai soil
Thailand’s prime minister has urged the public not to panic, but to remain vigilant against the new Omicron virus, according to government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana yesterday. He added that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha also encouraged people to get fully vaccinated in order to boost group immunity and ensure everyone’s safety, as adequate vaccines are now available for all Thais. As foreign…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials order quarantine for more than 100 travellers from South Africa
More than 100 travellers from South Africa who entered Thailand over the past two weeks have been ordered to quarantine for 14 days as a preventative measure following the emergence of the Omicron variant. Nationwide, the Thai Immigration Bureau and the Public Health Ministry are working to track down a total of more than 780 people who travelled from African…
- Visa Information
Cabinet okays new visa scheme allowing a 1 year stay for medical tourists
A new visa scheme approved, in principle, by the Thai Cabinet today will allow foreigners who are travelling to Thailand for medical treatment to stay in the Kingdom for up to a year. At the moment, many medical tourists stay in the country on 60-day tourist visas, which can be extended for another 30 days, and (before the pandemic) many…
- China News
Shanghai halts 500 flights, issues closure order after 3 three local Covid cases
After three locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases were reported in Shanghai on Friday, hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools were closed, and tourists activities were shut down. The three positive cases, according to a municipal government statement, were friends from the nearby city of Suzhou who attended an old architecture lecture last week. The three friends had close contact with nearly 200…
- World News
Two South African travellers test positive for Omicron at Singapore airport
Singapore’s health ministry says two South African travellers tested positive for the new Covid-19 variant “Omicron” transit at Changi Airport on their way to Australia yesterday. Contact tracing has begun for airport personnel who may have come into contact with two travellers. According to the ministry, the two residents of Johannesburg with pre-departure negative tests before boarding a Singapore Airlines…
- Thailand News
Ministry prepares to bring back Thais from eight African countries starting tomorrow
With Thai authorities issuing a travel ban on those from 8 African countries reporting the new Omicron variant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to bring Thai citizens in the high risk countries back to Thailand. Citizens living in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe can apply for a COE (certificate of entry) to return…
- Thailand News
“Sandbox” stay shortened to 5 days for vaccinated travellers from overseas
The mandatory stay under the “sandbox” re-entry scheme has been shortened to 5 days for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand. At its general meeting on Friday chaired by the prime minister, the CCSA to cut the stay under “sandbox” regulations from 7 days down to 5. “Happy Quarantine,” as tourism officials call it, has also been cut to 5 days for…
- Sponsored
Siam Seaplane makes getting to your destination so much easier
Sponsored Article There’s an innovative new company that is going to drastically reduce the time required to get to your holiday destination and get to those hard to get to beach resorts in the Land of Smiles. Siam Seaplane will offer Thailand’s first premium amphibious seaplane service, providing faster, easier and seamless access to waterfront locations such as resorts, and…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron Covid-19 variant isn’t in Thailand, DDC director says
The Omicron Covid-19 variant isn’t in Thailand, director-general of the Department of Disease Control said yesterday, assuring the public that the mutated strain of the virus virus is not “travelling” into the country by tourists. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said that all “sandbox” visitors are being closely and stringently monitored by health authorities. “All 1,007 travellers from South Africa who recently…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Israel bans ALL foreign entry over Omicron
Israel is the first country to impose a blanket ban on all foreigners from entering the country for at least 14 days. In a statement to parliament, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett says the ban, pending government approval, would last for 14 days. Meanwhile, the South African doctor who was the first to sound an international alarm over the new Omicron…
- Thailand News
Easier entry for foreign tourists: CCSA approves ATK for on-arrival screening
This story was updated to include a clarification from a government spokesperson who said an incorrect date during a press briefing. Entering Thailand will get a little easier, and a bit cheaper. The CCSA approved the use of rapid antigen tests to screen international arrivals for Covid-19 starting December 16. The ATK method will be replacing the RT-PCR test, meaning…
- World News
Thailand, 5 other countries added to Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane list
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore today announced that travelers from Thailand, Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Turkey will be able to enter Singapore quarantine-free starting in mid-December Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme. Visitors from VTL countries who are fully vaccinated are able to enter Singapore without having to go through quarantine and simply have to take a Covid-19 test.…
- World News
AirAsia to resume Bangkok-Phnom Penh flights following Cambodia’s reopening
AirAsia is resuming flights from Bangkok to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh starting December 22. The Southeast Asian country recently lifted restrictions to allow fully vaccinated foreign travellers to enter without undergoing quarantine. Next month, flights from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport to Phnom Penh will take off on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Travellers who are considered fully vaccinated under the…
- World News
Philippines prepares for reopening as quarantine lifted for 44 countries
Following the headline on Tuesday that the Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from 44 “green list” countries, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reportedly gearing up for the eventual reopening of Philippine borders to international tourists, despite a steady decline in Covid-19 cases in the country. According to the Manila Times, the Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente…
- World News
New Zealand sets to reopen to tourists from April 30, 2022
International travellers who have been fully vaccinated will be able to enter New Zealand starting April 30, 2022, with the reopening to be phased in over time, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, after two years of border shut down since March 2020. Fully vaccinated residents and Australians with a residence visa can travel to New Zealand starting January…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok’s Red Line starts fares at 12 baht, maximum at 42 baht
Fares for Bangkok’s Red Line electric commuter train will start at 12 baht and go up to a maximum fare of 42 baht. The Ministry of Transport announced that they will start issuing tickets on November 29 for the Red Line and the starting fare will be set for the first three years from 2022 to 2025. The new line,…
- Thailand News
Bangkok Airways resumes flights from U-Tapao to Phuket and Koh Samui
Next month, Bangkok Airways will resume flights from the U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport to Phuket and Koh Samui. The Phuket – U-Tapao flights will resume on December 2 while the Samui – U-Tapao will start back up on December 15. Flights between Phuket and U-Tapao with an ATR72-600 aircraft will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with outbound flights from the…
- World News
Singapore’s travel pass site went down as applications for Malaysians open
The SafeTravel website of Singapore, which allows foreign visitors to apply for a vaccination travel pass before entering, was down for several hours yesterday, which was the first day people from Malaysia could apply. Around noon, the website had a message that said “it was undergoing regular maintenance.” It was then restored around 3pm, but a text box recommended customers to…
- News
Singapore Airlines takes international travellers back to Melbourne under VTL
A Singapore Airlines flight boarding international travellers arrived at Melbourne Airport yesterday, making it the first time for Australia to welcome back tourists and international students without having to be quarantined under the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. Following it, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Australia would reopen its borders to all immunised Singaporeans on November 21.He added…
- World News
Vietnam’s resort island Phu Quoc welcomes first group of international tourists
After a nearly two-year border shutdown, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc resort island welcomed more than 200 international tourists from South Korea on Saturday. The fully vaccinated travellers are able to enjoy the Southeast Asian island without undergoing a 14-day quarantine. The fully vaccinated tourists can also take part in activities such as sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment events by showing their vaccine…
- World News
Singapore-Malaysia Vaccinated Travel Lane starts Monday, 6 airlines offer flights
With Singapore and Malaysia’s so-called “Vaccinated Travel Lane” launching Monday, allowing quarantine-free travel for those going to and from the two countries, six airlines will offer flights under the scheme. AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Scoot, and Singapore Airlines are set to fly between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur under VTL programme, starting Monday, according to the Civil Aviation…
- News
Loy Krathong in Bangkok: Proof of vaccination or ATK test required
Those in Bangkok celebrating Loy Krathong tomorrow will need to abide by “new normal” measures which include showing proof of vaccination or taking a rapid antigen test to enter venues approved to hold the celebrations. All visitors must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 vaccine or test negative for Covid-19 within the past 72 hours. There will be two main locations in…
- Tourism News
Emirates A380 to return to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to meet increased demand
The A380 is to return to the skies over Bangkok as Emirates upgrades capacity on flights to the capital to meet increased demand. TTR Weekly reports that Thailand’s recent re-opening to vaccinated tourists from approved countries has led to strong demand, with around 10,000 arrivals registered at Suvarnabhumi every day. In order to add capacity and frequency to its services,…
- World News
South East Asia gradually re-opening to vaccinated foreign arrivals
With Thailand now open to vaccinated travellers from 63 approved countries, the rest of South East Asia is preparing to follow suit. According to a TTR Weekly report, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia all have their own variations on a re-opening plan. In Vietnam, the resort island of Phu Quoc will re-open later this month for fully vaccinated foreign…
- World News
Travel blogger jailed in China for posing with a veteran’s tombstone for pictures
A travel blogger in China was sentenced to seven months in prison after publishing photos of himself with a veteran’s tombstone at a military cemetery in Xinjiang territory, according to the state media People’s Daily. Li Qixian, who blogged under the name Xiao Xian Jayson, was ordered him to make a public apology within 10 days. Li visited the Kangxiwa…
- World News
Singapore lifts entry curbs for 5 more countries under vaccinated travel lane scheme
Beginning November 29, Singapore will allow vaccinated travellers from five more countries, including Indonesia and India, to enter the country without undergoing a quarantine or isolation period. The effort is part of the country’s vaccinated travel lane scheme and will be expanded to cover travelers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates beginning early next month, according to…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s southernmost town Betong to reopen to tourism
Neighboring Malaysia, Betong in southern Thailand will reopen for sightseeing tourists from December 1. The Yala provincial governor says that over 70 percent of residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Several renowned tourist attractions in the region, including the Anyorweng skywalk, hot springs, historical Malayan communist tunnel, and flower fields, have been prepared to welcome guests adhering to anti-Covid measures,…
- World News
Singapore looks to Esports to help reboot tourism
As Singapore slowly reopens to foreign travellers, the country is hoping that Esports might be a new way to attract more tourists back to the island. Singapore has invested heavily in both digital and physical infrastructure, and has become Southeast Asia’s primary hub for Esports viewing and revenue, according to Bloomberg. Dr. Tan See Leng, Minister of Manpower and Second…
