"Tourist"

Foreigners will flock to Thailand now that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that the country will be reopening on November 1, the Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Tuesday.

Chiang Mai is to be the first province to welcome Asian tourists with direct flights from November 1 under the “Unlock Thailand” programme, Thanes Phetsuwan, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy governor of marketing – Asia and South Pacific, said on Wednesday.

Chiang Rai is preparing for the tourist season as the Covid-19 situation in the province has eased up. Wat Rong Khun is renovating its landscape, while Phu Chi Fa National Park is ready to open for tourism on October 1.

Rayong’s Suan Son Beach is bustling with fishermen catching krill, much to the excitement of tourists. Krill (Euphausiacea) has doubled in price from 2020 as its popularity increases. It is used to cook various types of delicious dishes, including high-quality shrimp paste.

Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park has warned tourists not to catch starfish and click pictures of the creatures as this would have a negative impact on natural resources and go against the National Park Act 2019.

The pandemic is having such a monstrous impact on Hat Yais travel industry that as many as nine tour guides have committed suicide since 2019 and more than 600 in the Songkhla district have lost their jobs.

Merchants at Hat Yai’s Kim Yong market are ready to welcome a large number of shoppers after Covid-19 measures were relaxed in Songkhla province. Virus prevention measures are to be strictly adhered to while most of the merchants have been vaccinated.

Beginning October, Koh Samui will replace the “Samui Plus Model” to promote tourism with the more liberal "sandbox" programme. Hotel bookings are expected to exceed 10,000 nights, district chief Teerapong Chuaychoo told the press on Sunday.

Lawa Yai island, the precious gem of beautiful Ao Phang Nga National Park in Takua Pa district, has become abundant in coral and seagrass, with dugongs now spotted living around the bay after the national park was closed to tourists.

It has been almost 50 days since the Phuket Sandbox programme took off, with the scheme now being considered satisfactory and foreign tourists saying they were impressed with things such as airport transportation, service and screening.

On a warm Friday night in July, the sun seemed to linger behind Amsterdams low, 16th century skyline. In the red light district, the crush of tourists that was common before the pandemic had long since vanished, making it easy for a delivery worker to cycle past a handful of gawkers around the old towns notorious storefronts.

The suspect in the murder of a Swiss tourist in Phuket has confessed to committing the crime with the intention of robbing money from the victim to buy drugs, the police chief revealed on Sunday.