Tourism News
Get your daily dose of Tourism News in Thailand with the latest updates on exciting destinations, events, and travel industry developments. We provide relevant and insightful information about Thailand’s diverse travel scene, which includes innovative hospitality trends, cultural experiences, and sustainable tourism practices. Stay informed on various tourism-related matters, including visa policies and major infrastructure projects, to ensure you’re always one step ahead in the vibrant world of travel.
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Sponsored Top 5 social media marketing companies in Thailand
As a business owner, you probably already know that social media has become an essential tool to reach new customers. According to the 2023 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, the majority of marketers reported positive outcomes from their social media...
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Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket to open new theme parks
So many businesses in the entertainment sector were flattened by the Covid-19 global pandemic. But with tourism beginning to pick up, and sunny predictions for the fourth quarter after a rained-out third quarter of 2022, theme parks and water parks are pumping money into a flood of new attractions in Thailand in the coming months. Current theme parks have been…
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Over 5 million foreign tourists arrived in Thailand in 9 months
A Thai government spokesperson has announced yesterday that over five million foreign tourists arrived in the ‘land of smiles’ between January 1 and September 8. The total number of foreign visitors was 5,018,172, said spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says the biggest group of tourists came from Malaysia, with 751,397 arrivals. Up next was India, with…
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Green Expo Returns to PHIST, Southeast Asia’s Leading Sustainability Forum
Press Release Banpu NEXT, is a leading smart energy solutions provider in the Asia Pacific under Banpu PCL. As the long-term partner in clean energy technology, Banpu NEXT creates total Smart Energy Solutions to help customers across industries and stages of business operation and achieve their ESG/SDG goals and build up values and opportunities for sustainable business growth while bringing…
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China Airlines opens a new route to Chiang Mai
China Airlines yesterday announced the good news that it intends to launch flights to Chiang Mai in Thailand. The bad news is that it won’t happen until next year. The Taiwan-based airline revealed on the day it reopened its borders that flights to the northern city of Chiang Mai take off on January 20 next year. Flight CI851 from Taiwan…
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More tourists are venturing into rural Thailand, says Airbnb
Airbnb says more tourists in Thailand are opting for ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations, benefiting the environment and local economies. Thailand’s usual top tourist destinations are places with international airports – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Phuket. According to Airbnb, more tourists are venturing out of these hubs and into “lesser-known” destinations such as Koh Lanta, Trat, Pai and Cha-Am. Koh Lanta…
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Venues surveyed in Thailand say they make the most money at later hours
Night venues recently surveyed by Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry made known that tourists spend the most money in the early hours of the morning. The venues surveyed were located in the tourist hotspots of Koh Samui, Phang Nga, and Khao San Road in Bangkok. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told the press yesterday… “The results suggested that tourists…
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Thailand rekindles historical ties with Greece
Thailand’s Governor of Tourism was in Greece today to meet his Greek counterpart in a bid to resurrect tourism and promote the previous historic relationship shared between the two nations. Yuthasak Supasorn met with Olympia Anastasopoulou, General Secretary of Tourism Policy & Development, in the Greek capital to revive a tourism cooperation memorandum signed by both countries 16 years ago.…
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Small hotels call for looser regulations to allow them to be legal
Hot on the heels of the Ministry of Interior proposing to loosen laws that would let small hotels operate more simply as homestays, a coalition of hotel associations is calling for a relaxation of building guidelines that have made 20,000 small hotels illegal. The group of 10 hotel and tourism associations submitted a letter on June 29 to the prime…
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Study uses mobile data to improve domestic tourism trends
A new study used mobile data from mobile operator DTAC’s customers to analyse their movements and extrapolate strategies for increasing domestic tourism within Thailand. The study was conducted by Chulalongkorn University, the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, and Boonmee Lab, and used data from June 2020 to October 2021 of 10% of DTAC’s customers who fit the travel parameters…
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Proposal would allow small hotels to operate as a homestay
The Ministry of Interior’s proposal for relaxing regulations on small homestay hotels has been met with opposition from the Thai Hotels Association. The plan would expand a “homestay” exemption in the Hotel Act for small businesses with no more than 20 guests in no more than four rooms, increasing the maximum size and occupancy to 10 rooms and 30 guests.…
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Bridge over troubled waters for Thailand-bound Russian snowbird tourists
Russian travellers have ritually sought out islands in the tropical sun since the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hellbent on escaping bitterly cold winters, these snowbirds in the lead-up years to the pandemic became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s mass market tourism surge. Now, coming out of the pandemic in the age of a return…
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Phuket hotels team up with HSMAI for digital tourism and travel marketing workshop
Phuket’s tourism industry continues to wait and wonder when Mainland Chinese will be allowed to travel overseas, in the wake of China’s zero-Covid policy. As Thailand’s leading resort island moves towards the high season, hoteliers are looking to bridge the China gap and look to new markets to replace the expected lower volume of travel-challenged Russian tourists. Addressing these challenges is…
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Thailand to boost tourism revenue by hosting Indian weddings, says TAT
Indian weddings are a “multi-billion dollar industry” that Thailand plans on tapping into, according to Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Siripakorn Chaewsamoot. The TAT said they want to bump up Thailand’s tourism revenue for 2022 up to 600 – 700 billion baht (US$16 – 19 billion) by the end of the year by targeting high-spending groups…
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50 dogs join owners on pet-friendly flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
Nok Air provided a chartered flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai allowing pet owners to bring their furry friends along with them. The flight, named ‘Paws Can Fly Season 1’ saw about 50 dogs tag along with their owners yesterday from Don Mueang International Airport to Chiang Mai International Airport. There were reportedly several influencers and actresses on the chartered…
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Budget airline Thai AirAsia X to launch two Thailand – Australia routes
Budget airline Thai AirAsia X will launch two direct routes between Thailand and Australia in December. The airline will fly from Bangkok to both Melbourne, and Sydney, beginning December 1 and 2 this year, respectively. The Bangkok to Sydney route will fly four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Bangkok to Melbourne route will fly thrice…
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New direct bus from Don Mueang Airport to Pattaya
Budget punters rejoice – a new shuttle bus will now whisk people directly from Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok’s low-cost secondary airport, to the tourism and nightlife hub of Pattaya. The shuttle started trial runs earlier this month and, if successful, may usher in a chain of other convenience bus options from the popular airport, according to the Don Mueang…
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Thailand ‘tourist tax’ to come into effect next year
Starting next year, foreigners entering Thailand by plane will have to pay an entry fee of 300 baht. The “tourist tax” was originally intended to be imposed at the start of this year, but its implementation was delayed to give Thailand’s tourism industry a chance to recover from the pandemic. The fee will be introduced “next year,” according to Thailand’s…
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Monopoly: Chiang Mai Edition being planned for next year
Coming off the success of the Phuket Edition that was released in March, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced the launch of Monopoly: Chiang Mai Edition. The new edition celebrating the northern city is scheduled to be released sometime next year. The perennial board game favourite has launched over 300 versions and thousands of custom editions ranging from…
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New PVS check-in system to speed up Suvarnabhumi Airport
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok’s main international airport, is getting an upgrade: a new passenger validation system is being put in place. The new PVS will be launched in the airport officially on September 1 and will be found at Terminal 4 for both domestic and international passengers. [Note: The Thaiger believes the airport said “Terminal 4” but perhaps meant the fourth…
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Thailand welcomed over 4 million foreign tourists this year, officials say
A Thai government spokesperson has said today that over 4 million foreign tourists have entered the kingdom this year. He said this number is expected to jump to 4.5 million within this month. The top five countries with the most tourists coming to Thailand, in order, are: Malaysia, India, Laos, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. The spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, said…
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Saturday passport offices in Bangkok see a huge demand
The Covid-19 pandemic is winding down, or at least the travel restrictions that came with it are, and for Thai people, this means it’s time to get the heck out of the country, according to passport office statistics this weekend. Two Bangkok-area passport offices were open on Saturday and reported a huge demand for processing passports on the weekend. As…
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AirAsia Thailand launches Bangkok to Fukuoka flights October 12
Following suit of Thai Vietjet last month, AirAsia Thailand will launch direct flights from Bangkok to Fukuoka, Japan. The flights are scheduled to commence on October 12 and fly from Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok’s secondary airport that caters to low-cost carriers like AirAsia. To celebrate the launch, the airline is offering promotional fares on sale from now until August…
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Is the 10-year visa attracting Europeans and others to Thailand?
Officials in Thailand have been heavily pushing the new 10-year golden visa options for digital nomads and rich expats, with Europeans as a primary demographic, but is it really a big draw? The government has predicted that one million wealthy tourists will jump at the chance to live long-term in Thailand over the next five years, but the programme that…
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China requests a five-time increase in flights to Thailand
A rise in Chinese tourism to Thailand may be on the horizon shortly as the Civil Aviation Administration of China has requested quintupling the number of flights between the two countries. There are currently three flights a week between Thailand and China but the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand announced that they received a letter from the CAAC asking to…
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Thailand’s CCSA talk tourist stats, visas on arrival & home isolation
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Administration Situation (CCSA) met with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today, August 19, to talk about coronavirus-related topics and foreign arrivals. The CCSA said Thailand is transiting into the “post-pandemic stage.” The CCSA said Thailand’s Covid situation is improving and its classification is changing from a “serious communicable disease” to a “communicable disease under surveillance.” Home Isolation…
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Thailand ranks as fourth most popular destination among Chinese travellers
Chinese tourists are finally returning to Thailand. International flights out of China have increased 200% this month compared with the same period last month. Out of those flights, Thailand is the fourth most flown-to destination by mainland Chinese tourists, according to the Variflight civil aviation data service. South Korea came in first place, Japan came in second and the United…
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4am alcohol curfew may increase revenue, but also crime, deaths
Supporters of the current proposal to allow nightlife entertainment venues to open and serve booze until 4am in some tourist provinces think it will allow money-spending customers to drink alcohol and party for a few extra hours. Meanwhile, opposition to the proposal worries that it will allow customers to drink alcohol and party for a few extra hours, with dire…
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Another long weekend brings huge crowds to Surat Thani
Another long holiday weekend has benefited tourism in southern Thailand, as the province of Surat Thani recorded over 57,000 visitors. Both domestic and foreign travellers made their way down to Surat’s popular islands for the three-day weekend. Data shared by the Surat Thani office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that 24,639 foreigners made their way to one…
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Thailand getting high on cannabis boost to tourist economy
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha recently reported the government is expecting about 10 million tourists to hit the kingdom before the end of the year and it reports are true, most of them plan on getting high. The Thai government removed cannabis and hemp plants from its banned narcotics list on June 9 leaving people in Thailand free to grow and…
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Thailand’s economy grows but it still misses China’s cash
A new poll revealed Thailand’s economy grew at its fastest in a year over the last quarter but the kingdom’s outlook is still threatened by the high cost of living and China’s decision to maintain a zero-Covid-19 policy. The Thai economy grew largely because of tourism and the government’s decision to relax entry rules into Thailand such as the Thai…
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