Parked in rows with many gathering dust and cobwebs, hundreds of “tuk tuk” motorised rickshaws, tour buses and boats lie silent across the Thai capital of Bangkok, after suffering a twin blow from the coronavirus pandemic and a lack of foreign tourists. Celebrations of the Lunar New Year, which begins on Friday, normally bring a spike in spending and travel among Thais and an influx of visitors from China and elsewhere in Asia. Tuk-tuks that are used to transport tourists around the city are seen idle due to travel bans and border closures from the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in a parking lot in downtown Bangkok, Thailand February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva But the pandemic has upended Thai transport businesses, leaving many drivers and owners struggling to ...
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Thailand’s resort island of Phuket is planning private coronavirus vaccinations for 250,000 residents in the hope the government will allow it to fully reopen to foreign tourists by October and save its battered economy, industry officials said. “The people of Phuket are losing hope,” Phuket Tourism Association President, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said, adding that the island’s economy was at its lowest point in recent history. About 10.5 million of the nearly 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand in 2019 visited Phuket. The Southeast Asian nation had only 6.7 million arrivals nationwide last year due to its coronavirus border closures. Foreign tourism revenue in Phuket dropped 78% to 87.5 million baht ($2.92 million) in 2020 with 2.1 million arrivals. !function(e...
Read More“Giggling bread” and “joyfully dancing salad” aren’t the usual dishes on a menu in Thailand, but one eatery is hoping its cannabis-infused cuisine can lure foreign tourists and take the taboo out of the recently legalised leaf. The restaurant at the Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital in Prachin Buri started serving its own happy meals this month, after Thailand de-listed cannabis as a narcotic, allowing state-authorised firms to cultivate the plant. A chef prepares a pork sandwich with a marijuana leaf at Abhaibhubejhr hospital canteen which adds cannabis infused dishes to its menu after cannabis leaves, stems, stalks and roots were officially removed from Thailand's narcotics list, allowing basically any part of the plant except for the buds to be used for consumption in Prachin Buri...
Read MoreThailand’s Tourism Minister said on Monday he had proposed a plan to allow foreigners to quarantine in some of the country’s many golf resorts to boost the ailing tourism sector during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are discussing with the Public Health Ministry and the country’s coronavirus taskforce to offer hotel and golf quarantine for tourists with medical certificates,” Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn told reporters. Foreign tourists would be able to spend the two-week quarantine period at a specified resort and move around in the hotel area and also play golf, he said, rather than just isolating in their rooms. !function(e,t,c,a){if(!e.fwn&&(a="fwn_script",n=e.fwn=function(){ n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments) },e._fwn|...
Read MoreInside the shrine of Chao Mae Thap Thim in Bangkok, a figurine of the sea goddess Mazu sits in the centre of a gold-framed altar of deities in a room festooned with lanterns and Chinese scriptures. Outside, a tall, newly erected metal fence stands between the goddess and a vast construction site, where a dozen trucks and excavators are waiting to move in and demolish the historic shrine once at the heart of the Thai capital’s Chinese migrant community. A group of students visit Chao Mae Thap Thim shrine during a live stream talk about the artistic and historic value of the shrine, during a full moon festival in Bangkok, Thailand, October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Silva The stone lions that protect the shrine may not hold out much longer. Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, which own...
Read MoreThailand recorded 3,065 foreign tourists in November, official data showed on Monday, in its second month of receiving long-stay visitors after a ban was imposed in April to keep coronavirus infections under control. The 3,065 foreign tourists in November is just a fraction of the 3.39 million arrivals in the same period last year. In October, there were 1,201 foreign visitors. FILE PHOTO: Tourists take pictures at Phu Thap Buek mountain in Phetchabun province, Thailand, December 12, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo Though the country is gradually opening up to foreign visitors and offering incentives to boost domestic travel, efforts to revive its tourism-driven economy are being hampered by an outbreak found 10 days ago that has since infected more than 1,600 people in 43 ...
Read MoreThailand on Thursday eased travel restrictions for citizens from 56 countries in a bid to boost the country’s pandemic-hit tourism industry, though visitors will be required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine. Tourists from countries including Australia, France and the United States can travel without visas, but would need a certificate to show they were free of COVID-19 72 hours before travel and a place at a quarantine hotel, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand’s COVID-19 taskforce said. Visitors would then be subject to a two-week quarantine period after arriving, he said, adding that the normal 30-day visa would be extended to 45 days. While in quarantine, arrivals would undergo three COVID-19 tests, up from two required previously, Taweesin said...
Read MoreThailand recorded its first 1,201 foreign tourists in October since a ban in April aimed at averting coronavirus outbreaks, as the country gradually opens up to a select number of visitors to help its struggling, tourism-reliant economy. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy contracted 6.4% in the third quarter from a year earlier after the second quarter’s 12.1% slump as most virus restrictions were eased, but an absence of tourists is limiting the recovery. The 1,201 foreign visitors in October is a fraction of the 3.07 million arrivals in the same month last year. Tourism ministry data showed the latest visitors included 471 from China, 231 from neighbouring Cambodia, 178 from Middle East countries and 116 from Europe, all travelling on special 90-day visas that require two...
Read MoreLive “Elephant in the Zoom” experience supports conservation efforts at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Racking your brain for the ideal gift for a friend or loved one this holiday season? Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort is bringing the perfect three-ton gift into homes around the globe this holiday season, but no freight shipping cost is required; only a donation. The world-renowned luxury resort and Asia’s premier elephant camp is partnering with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) to launch an inimitable holiday gift service that stars elephants in Zoom video calls live from their natural habitat in Northern Thailand’s ancient jungle, to help support essential conservation efforts and bring tons of holiday cheer. With ...
Read MoreWhen it comes to hospitality no country comes closer to perfection than Thailand offering something for everyone of diverse interest, every age and every budget. From pristine sandy beaches to lush jungles, bustling busy cities to traditional villages, Michelin star menus to roadside noodle stalls, historic Buddhist temples to 21st century sky scrapers, Thailand is truly amazing! Amazing Thailand also has Amazing Golf facilities. Ideally located more than 250 golf courses throughout the country, by the sea, by the mountains, by the lakes, inside the cities even besides the airports. Top quality courses, reasonable green fees, friendly caddies. From the beach resorts in the south such as Phuket to the mountainous surroundings in the north or the bustling cities of Bangkok and Pattaya, t...
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