travel
- Tourism News
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.…
- Covid-19 News
5 new imported cases- Covid-19 update (July 6)
The Thai government has reported 5 new imported cases of Covid-19, bringing the Kingdom’s total tally to 3,195 with 58 deaths. Thai nationals made up the new cases, as they reportedly recently returned from Kuwait and are currently in state quarantine. Currently, one person has been added to the total amount of recovered cases in the past 24 hours, bring…
- Travel
UK lifts non-essential travel ban for many countries starting July 10
No bubbles, no air-bridges. The UK is ditching the 14 day quarantine plans for people arriving from 75 countries. The UK will shortly lift the ban on non-essential travel to just about all EU countries plus Turkey, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, as well as territories Bermuda and Gibraltar. The new rules will apply from July 10. Countries like China,…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Economy News
Up to 2.7 million Thai travel, hospitality and tourism workers unemployed by September
The president of the Thai Tourism Industry Council says confidence among Thailand’s tourism business operators fell to the lowest level in a decade during the second quarter this year, with about 2.6 million workers already unemployed and about another 100,000 expected to be laid off in Q3 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The gloomy forecast is the result…
- Economy News
“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…
- Covid-19 News
World hits milestone in Covid-19 total infections and deaths
The world has hit a new milestone with 500,000+ deaths and 10 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 with officials warning the worst may be yet to come. Meanwhile more than 5.5 million people have recovered from the virus. The statistics surged through the milestones yesterday, coupled with another record mark for daily new infections at 189,000. The true death toll of…
- Covid-19 News
Thai virus expert says it’s too soon for foreign tourists
It’s too early to think about opening the country’s doors to foreign travellers, one Thai public health expert says. With the coronavirus still spreading in other parts of the world, Chulaongkorn University epidemiologist Thira Woratanarat warns that letting tourists in while domestic restrictions are still easing poses a serious risk. Worathanarat wrote a post on his Facebook page, citing the numbers…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Friday, June 26
A different program today looking at the issues of flying around Thailand at the moment and a few things to remember. Also the latest we know about the borders slowly opening up and the process of slowly allowing some foreigners to re-enter the country. Back to the usual format on Monday. Have a fantastic weekend. Tim and The Thaiger team.
- Travel
Virgin Australia will fly again under new US ownership
Virgin Australia will reportedly grace the Australian skies again after a US company has bought it out. Bain Capital, a private equity group in the US, took over ownership after the struggling airline was unsuccessful in asking for Australian government bail out or loans. The second largest airline in Australia collapsed in April after struggling with long-term debt before the Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
Potential low-risk countries to reboot Thailand inbound travel
Thailand’s borders could be opened to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and certain cities in China. Those areas are now deemed to have a low-risk for spreading the coronavirus and being looked into as potential countries for the ‘travel bubble’ scheme. In an tourism agreement with the low-risk countries, foreigners would be allowed to enter the country, but with restrictions.…
- Covid-19 News
Q&A with David Barrett on travel, tourism and MICE
Industry expert and respected marketeer David Barrett chatted with travel writer and media consultant Andrew J Wood on the recovery from the impact of Covid-19 on Thailand’s formidable travel and tourism industry. AW. As Thailand starts to emerge from lockdown what do you believe are the most important points to consider to ensure success? DB: As we begin to recover,…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Monday, June 22
3 killed, 2 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat crash 3 people have been killed, one an 11 year old girl, and 2 others seriously injured, after the pick-up they were travelling in collided with a roadside tree. All from the same Nakhon Si Thammarat family, heading to a family burial. A convoy of 5 cars was heading to Surat Thani…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA officials plan to allow 7 groups of foreigners to enter Thailand
Authorities are still trying to figure out who will be allowed to enter Thailand, and how it should be handled. But today the government narrowed it down to 7 groups of foreigners, some under the developing ‘travel bubble’ scheme, and others that may require quarantine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration still plans to discuss the proposed groups with government…
- World News
New breathalyser underway to detect Covid-19
Israel has reportedly developed a breathalyser that may be able to detect the Covid-19 virus in those who don’t even show symptoms, making it a potentially promising way to control the spread of the virus. The new technology is set to be used on airplanes and other methods of travel where it can identify if the virus is present on someone’s breath-at…
- Covid-19 News
Relaxation on some social distancing measures for travel
The Thailand Civil Aviation Authority has further relaxed the restrictions on domestic airline services by removing the need for on-board social distancing (so that middle seat is now likely to be sold) CCAT Director Chula Sookmanop says that domestic airlines can sell all their seats on each flight Airlines no longer need to leave some of the seats vacant for…
- Covid-19 News
Travel bubbles to initially exclude tourists
“20,000 foreign businesspeople, Thai work permit holders, and international school students and teachers have registered to return to Thailand.” Health Minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand’s “travel bubble” scheme will open first to business groups and international-school teachers who can be easily tracked, and not to the world’s tourists. He made the announcement after a meeting with Japanese…
- Covid-19 News
Health minister wants travel bubbles to begin in July, but not for tourists
“No one will be allowed to arrive masquerading as a businessperson in order to go on holiday.” Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that businesspeople, international students and ‘experts’ will be the first groups of foreigners allowed to reenter Thailand next month under the travel bubble model. Anutin revealed the timetable after discussing a travel…
- Covid-19 News
Thai government still working on criteria for travel bubble arrangements
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he has appointed “two senior figures” to determine the criteria for “travel bubble” agreements with other countries. According to a report in Nation Thailand, the Public Health ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Supakit Sirilak, and the director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, will set the conditions that must be met for…
- Covid-19 News
Travel bubble idea up in the air, no foreign tourists anytime soon
Don’t get your hopes up about international travel. Tourism in and out of Thailand won’t be happening anytime soon, officials said yesterday. The idea of “travel bubbles” has floated by, but the plans are still up in the air. The public health minister says he’ll propose a solid plan next week. The Thai government is making it clear that they…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Tuesday, June 16
To register for the Thaiger Flash Property Sale log in HERE. It all start this Thursday at midday! Outrage over 75,000 baht travel allowance for senior execs at Thai Airways The deputy leader of Thailand’s Democrat Party says Thai’s should be outraged by the disclosure that Thai Airways senior management have been getting a 75,000 baht “travel allowance”. He decries…
- Opinion
Thailand tourism recovery- are we doing enough?
OPINION by Andrew J Wood The wheels of Thailand’s tourism industry are slowly turning. Travel and tourism is starting to move again. Weekends in Hua Hin hotels for instance are close to capacity (with some resorts experiencing 90% occupancy and some even higher). Being close to Bangkok; the weather, air quality and the fact that you can drive from the metropolis definitely…
- Tourism News
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – Thailand’s international travel quandary
With apologies to William Shakespeare. You’re going to hear a lot more about travel bubbles in the next few months. Indeed it will become the ‘new normal’ in the short-term for Thailand’s battered tourism and hospitality industry. The world is NOT going to magically re-open up and travel as they did before, at least not in the next few years.…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Monday, June 15
No new cases of Covid-19, either locally transmitted or imported from overseas, in the past 24 hours. Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners Foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period.…
- Covid-19 News
Borders start to reopen in Europe but restrictions on free travel remain
From today, a number of European countries will tentatively open their borders to some travellers, but total freedom of movement is still a long way off. The 22 EU countries, that are members of the Schengen area, normally enjoy restriction-free border crossings, but Covid-19 has put an end to that for now, and while some are opening up strict controls…
- Covid-19 News
No Aussie dollars in Thailand for at least 3 months
As Thailand starts to poke its head out over the Covid-19 parapet and look towards its travel future, there is at least one country that won’t be lining up at Thai immigration any time soon. Australians, an enduring stalwart of Thai tourism traffic, are banned from leaving the shores of the land downunder for at least another 3 months. The…
- Economy News
Finance Ministry looking at 3,000 baht ‘travel bank’ in next stimulus round
The Finance Ministry is looking at giving domestic tourists a 3,000 baht ‘travel bank’ to deduct off the cost of participating hotels, restaurants and tourism attractions. This time the restaurants, hospitality options and attractions will need to register for the service while the users won’t need to register. So, a user might check into a 5,000 baht hotel and spend…
- Tourism News
Travelling Bangkok’s klongs with Manit
Should you move to Thailand? In this video I interviewed my friend @Christopher Lau , originally from California, USA and got a little insight of his experience behind living in Thailand for two years. Then I took him for the famous canal boat ride in “Klong Saen Saep” Bangkok. By the end of the vlog we had a very delightful…
- Covid-19 News
Security chief says country to reopen July 1
The chief of Thailand’s National Security Council announced today that Thailand has set July 1 for the end of all “business and activity lockdowns” ordered to cope with the Covid-19 crisis, include provincial and international travel. The announcement also included the end of the Emergency Decree and curfews, Bangkok Post reports. NSC Secretary-General Somsak Rungsita says the lift of restrictions…
- Covid-19 News
July 1 will end all lockdowns in Thailand, including international travel
The Thai government says it will lift all remaining business and activity lockdowns on July 1, according to the National Security Council chief. “This includes interprovincial and international travel, as well as the end of emergency decree and curfew.” The lift of all restrictions, imposed under the country’s emergency decree, would be a “complete reopening of the country”. Officials and…
