Thailand News
Tourism news and project updates for renting in Phuket and Thailand.
Thailand's weather service issues a seven-day heavy rain warning through 25 October
TMD flags flash floods and landslide risk from 19 to 25 October, with waves above 3 metres possible in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Read →TAT turns its Madrid food festival into a Spain-wide travel sales campaign with Viajes El Corte Inglés
The Tourism Authority of Thailand extends its Madrid event into a nationwide package campaign, with savings of up to 400 euros and a target of about 3,000 sales.
Read →Thailand's ASEAN India+ Shoppers campaign returns for a third year with a 244 million baht target
TAT adds Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to a shopping-led campaign that pairs registration with offers from more than 50 partners.
Read →Thailand's tourism chief puts safety, sustainability and Thai-ness at the centre of a CNN forum in Bangkok
At CNN Global Perspectives on 14 October, TAT said Thailand wants to be judged by the value visitors take home, not by arrival numbers.
Read →TAT and Tripadvisor sign a Letter of Intent to share traveller insights ahead of Thailand's 2027 tourism push
The agreement covers joint promotion, data exchange on traveller behaviour and new digital ways to raise the visibility of Thai destinations and businesses.
Read →Thailand turns to year-end events to stay close to 33 million foreign arrivals in 2026
After 23.2 million visitors in nine months, TAT is counting on festivals, concerts and global meetings to carry the final quarter.
Read →Thai Vietjet Air opens daily Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok flights, its first direct Malaysia route
TAT welcomed the first VZ681 on 9 October with 90% of seats booked, as Malaysia sends more than three million visitors to Thailand this year.
Read →Bangkok is named World's Best City in the Condé Nast Traveller 2026 UK Readers' Choice Awards
A score of 97.68 from 296,356 UK readers, plus top-ten places for Thai islands, beaches, spas and hotels
Read →Thailand opens public consultation on a 1,000-baht air departure tax
The draft would apply to every international flight out of the country. It is a proposal only, and the industry is asking for a full impact assessment.
Read →Thailand's weather service warns of heavy rain from 9 to 13 October across the Central, East and South
TMD Warning No. 5 flags flash-flood risk, gusty winds and waves above two metres, with Bangkok included on 10 and 11 October.
Read →LOT Polish Airlines opens Warsaw-Bangkok flights, Poland's first scheduled direct link to Thailand
The carrier starts with three weekly flights and moves to five in winter, with up to 1,260 inbound seats a week.
Read →Thailand brings 40 Gulf travel trade buyers to Pattaya, Hua Hin and Bangkok
A TAT familiarisation trip and Trade Connect session links buyers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia with 80 Thai tourism businesses.
Read →Thailand plans free stopover tours for transit passengers at four airports from early 2027
A pilot would offer travellers with six-to-eight-hour layovers complimentary cultural, food and wellness tours.
Read →Thailand welcomes 522,532 foreign visitors in a week as Chinese arrivals jump 42%
Weekly arrivals rose 8.24% to 3 October, while the year-to-date total stays 3.88% below the same period last year.
Read →Thai AirAsia returns to Suvarnabhumi with daily flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi
The airline restarted Bangkok's second-airport option on 1 October and plans up to 135 domestic flights a day in the fourth quarter.
Read →Thailand climbs ten places to 38th in the World Economic Forum's 2026 tourism index
The WEF's Travel & Tourism Development Index puts Thailand fourth in ASEAN, while the report warns that affordability and labour shortages are the next tests.
Read →Thailand pitches wellness travel to Japan as a weak yen squeezes budgets
At Tourism Expo Japan 2026, TAT is chasing 1.05 million arrivals by steering visitors toward secondary cities and slower, healthier trips.
Read →Bangkok floods put Golden Week arrivals at risk as TAT steps up its message to Chinese travellers
More than 300 mm of rain in under 72 hours has hit the capital, but the airports are running and most destinations are unaffected.
Read →Thailand's immigration app moves beyond the arrival card
THIM will soon handle visa extensions, 90-day reporting and queue bookings, the Immigration Bureau says
Read →Phuket named Canada's top wellness pick in 2026 travel awards
Canadian voters ranked the island first for wellness travel, a result Thai officials are linking to their push for higher-value tourism
Read →VIJIT Thailand 2026 lights up Lamphun, Trang and Roi Et after dark from 25 September
The Tourism Authority of Thailand's night programme of light art, 3D mapping and live performance moves through three regional cities until 18 October.
Read →Phuket's 2026 Vegetarian Festival runs from 9 to 18 October, with street processions from 11 October
TAT Phuket has released the official guide: more than 30 shrines, early-morning processions across the island and a closing night of bridge-crossing rites. Motorists are advised to plan their routes in advance.
Read →Thailand targets 1.5 million US visitors as TAT aligns its New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offices
Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul chaired a strategy meeting in New York on 17 September. American visitors stayed an average of 14.59 nights in 2025 and spent more than 69,415 baht per trip.
Read →GullivAir to fly direct from Sofia to Bangkok and Phuket from 5 November
The Bulgarian carrier's winter timetable links the Balkans with Thailand's two main gateways until late March 2027
Read →Thai hoteliers expect fewer than 32 million foreign arrivals in 2026 as travellers shorten their stays
A Thai Hotels Association and Bank of Thailand survey puts August occupancy at 64%, finds fourth-quarter bookings below last year and asks for stronger visitor safety and transport links.
Read →Thailand lines up new winter routes and year-end festivals in a push for 2.7 trillion baht in 2026
TAT now forecasts 32.6-32.7 million foreign visitors this year and is leaning on the high season, from October's new flights to December's festivals, to close the gap to its 33 million target
Read →Thailand's Tourist Police add drones, AI patrol vehicles and translation kits in a nationwide safety upgrade
A training course that closed in Phuket on 12 September is one part of a programme covering 1,250 officers, 128 drones and 32 smart checkpoints.
Read →Thailand expects 250,000 Chinese visitors over a 13-day Golden Week
TAT forecasts 11.5 billion baht in spending between 25 September and 7 October as a longer holiday, more direct flights and a weaker baht draw travellers from China.
Read →Thailand regains second place in Southeast Asian air capacity with 6.6 million September seats
OAG data puts Thailand narrowly ahead of Vietnam again, with growth at Suvarnabhumi offsetting cuts at Don Mueang
Read →TransNusa opens direct Bali-Phuket flights four times a week
The first flight landed full on 9 September, adding about 700 seats a week between two of Southeast Asia's best-known islands
Read →Thai Airways lines up 66 routes for the 2026/27 high season, with more flights from Europe, India and Asia
The winter timetable runs from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, adds Danang and Gaya, and raises frequencies to Paris, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and several Indian cities.
Read →Self-drive travel in Thailand rises 59% as families take the wheel, Trip.com data shows
Car rental bookings for trips within Thailand grew 59% year on year, insurance purchases more than doubled, and travellers now book about a week earlier.
Read →South Korea lifts its travel advisory for seven Thai provinces along the Cambodian border
Seoul's Foreign Ministry has moved Buri Ram, Chanthaburi, Sa Kaeo, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani and Trat down to its lowest alert level, reopening the east and lower northeast to one of Thailand's largest Asian markets.
Read →Phuket's tourism leaders make the case for value over volume
At the Phuket Tourism Forum 2026, industry heads argued that the island should measure success by spending, length of stay and quality of life, not by arrivals alone
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Riyadh Air opens direct Riyadh-Bangkok flights, going daily in October
The new Boeing 787-9 route starts with three flights a week and adds about 3,840 inbound seats a month as Thailand works to rebuild arrivals from Saudi Arabia
Read →Thailand's 2026 tourism crosses one trillion baht in revenue after eight months
The country counted 20.81 million foreign visitors from 1 January to 29 August, with China, Malaysia and India leading arrivals.
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Nakhon Phanom's Illuminated Boat Procession lights up the Mekong
As Wan Ok Phansa nears, TAT spotlights Lai Reua Fai and the quiet riverside province behind it, where Isan food, sacred temples and a bridge to Laos reward travellers who explore at their own pace.
Read →Thailand's TAGTHAi app widens tourist payments with KBank and major mall groups
The national travel platform is extending its Easy Pay e-wallet across Siam Piwat, The Mall Group and MBK, linking cashless spending to visitor rewards.
Read →Songkhla earns 32 billion baht from tourism in seven months as Malaysian visitors lead the recovery
The Tourism Authority of Thailand shared the figure at a mobile cabinet meeting in the province, with a full-year forecast above 55 billion baht.
Read →Thailand weighs higher security deposits for licensed tour operators
The Department of Tourism wants to restore pre-pandemic guarantee amounts, up to 200,000 baht for general operators, while some agencies question whether the change will curb scams.
Read →Thailand's September 2026 calendar gathers a dozen festivals across the country
TAT's monthly guide points visitors toward provincial towns in the quieter green season, with cultural fairs, live music, a coffee expo in Nonthaburi and the Pattaya Marathon.
Read →Thailand studies a three-tier tourist insurance plan that would cover rented vehicles
As a proposed 450-baht entry fee goes to public consultation, officials are floating basic medical cover for every arrival, extra insurance for high-risk activities, and third-party liability cover for visitors who rent a car, motorbike or jet ski.
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Thailand turns to creator-powered tourism as 300 TikTok creators gather in Bangkok
TAT's TikTok LIVE Community Fest 2026 turned the riverside heritage of Song Wat into travel inspiration for audiences across Southeast Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
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Thailand sets its 2027 tourism course with The Year of Transformation
TAT's plan targets at least 5% revenue growth and a 60:40 split of visitors between major and emerging destinations.
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Thailand's back roads draw a new wave of self-drive travellers
From the Mae Hong Son Loop to Khao Yai's glamping camps, the drive itself is becoming the reason to go.
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Chiang Mai hosts a carbon-neutral Green Guide Fest from 28 to 30 August
TAT expects 15,000 visitors and more than 100 million baht in tourism revenue for the province, with EV shuttles linking the city to Railway Park.
Read →Thailand and New Zealand launch a strategic partnership and plan to revive Bangkok-Auckland flights
A Joint Declaration signed in Wellington on 21 August raises ties to a strategic partnership, sets a goal to triple trade by 2045, and backs Thai Airways' plan to fly Bangkok to Auckland again from March 2027.
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Thailand maps four southern fruit routes for a season of orchard travel
TAT's Southern MUST TASTE Thai Fruits invites visitors to plan trips around what is ripe across 14 provinces.
Read →Thailand puts EV road trips at the centre of a new tourism campaign
TAT and ZEEKR Thailand launch 'Amazing Thailand in ZEEKR Luxury Way,' running from August 2026 to February 2027 across four regions.
Read →Bangkok ranks eighth in a new global index of tourism cities
A study by Yanolja Research places the Thai capital in the world's top ten by measuring how travellers talk about destinations online and how they feel about them, with Chiang Mai at 27th.
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