News

Travel02/11/2026

The State Railway of Thailand's seasonal 'floating train' excursions to Pa Sak Jolasid Dam run from November 2026 through January 2027, with independent return fares starting at 350 baht in third class and 650 baht in air-conditioned second class, bookable up to 90 days ahead.

Events01/11/2026

The Tourism Authority of Thailand's official events calendar lists the Nasatta Light Festival 2027, running at Nasatta Thai Park in Ratchaburi from November 20, 2026 to February 28, 2027, with illuminated installations lighting up the park through the cool season.

Travel30/10/2026

Air India Express began twice-weekly flights between Visakhapatnam and Bangkok on October 27, giving eastern India a new direct link to Thailand for the 2026-2027 winter travel season.

Prices30/10/2026

Thailand's Cabinet approved a three-month excise tax cut on E20 gasohol and B20 biodiesel on October 27, and pump prices for both fuels dropped to 33.50 baht a litre from October 28.

Travel29/10/2026

Kuwait Airways' first non-stop Kuwait City–Phuket flight landed on October 27, running Tuesdays and Saturdays on a 278-seat Airbus A330-900neo; the carrier plans up to four weekly flights during the December–February peak season.

Travel29/10/2026

After cutting services earlier in 2026 over surging jet fuel costs, Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsia X have brought back 10 suspended international routes for the October–December peak, building a combined winter network of 53 routes to 46 cities from Don Mueang.

Travel26/10/2026

Belarusian carrier Belavia's first direct Minsk–Bangkok flight landed at Suvarnabhumi on October 26, running weekly on an Airbus A330-200; a second new route, Minsk–Phuket, starts twice-weekly service from October 29.

Prices26/10/2026

Thailand's Transport Ministry has asked the Cabinet to extend the 40-baht-a-day flat fare on the SRT Red Line and MRTA Purple Line, due to expire November 30, by about a year to December 31, 2027, citing rising ridership on both lines.

Prices25/10/2026

The Cabinet has approved a one-year extension of Thailand's reduced 7% VAT rate, covering October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, rather than letting it revert to the standard 10% — the latest in a run of annual extensions stretching back more than three decades.

Travel24/10/2026

Since October 16, 2026, a CAAT rule lets security staff at all Thai airports open a checked bag without its owner present if X-ray screening flags a suspected prohibited or dangerous item. Each opening is filmed, a written notice is left inside the bag, and a lock that can't be opened may be broken with no compensation — so a TSA-approved lock is worth using.

Travel24/10/2026

Thai Airways' high-season network of 66 routes — 15 to Europe and Australia, 43 across Asia and 8 domestic — runs from October 25, 2026 to March 27, 2027, and includes a new Bangkok-Da Nang service and extra weekly frequencies to Paris and Hong Kong from December 1.

Prices23/10/2026

Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on October 22 that the Finance Ministry will not move ahead with the draft 1,000-baht air departure tax for now, citing a wish to protect tourism momentum into the high season. The Revenue Department's public consultation on the draft law still runs until October 29, and the separate 450-baht tourist entry fee is unaffected and remains under its own review.

Prices23/10/2026

The Tourism Authority of Thailand's domestic airfare discount, worth 500 baht off any regular-priced domestic ticket with seven participating airlines, can be booked from October 15 to December 15, 2026 using promo code FLYTODOM, for travel completed by January 15, 2027. More than 46,000 bookings had been made as of October 22.

Prices21/10/2026

A progressive residential electricity tariff took effect with September 2026 bills, capping the energy charge for the first 200 units at 3 baht per unit and, for the first time, letting renters and households without house registration qualify for the cheaper residential rate.

Travel21/10/2026

The first trainset for Bangkok's MRT Orange Line eastern section is due to reach Thailand in late November 2026, but trial running has slipped to late 2027 and fare-paying service is now expected only from January 2028.

Travel20/10/2026

The Bank of Thailand has published its 18 public holidays for financial institutions in 2027, including eight stretches of three days or more — worth noting for travel planning and bank visits, since Songkran falls midweek next year and won't create its usual long weekend.

Real estate20/10/2026

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul launched a three-part crackdown on nominee land ownership on 19 October, ordering every province to identify high-risk cases by the end of December and warning that confirmed violations could bring forced sale, revoked title deeds, deportation or loss of citizenship.

Travel19/10/2026

The Expressway Authority of Thailand has set a new timeline for its long-planned Patong-Kathu tunnel: Cabinet approval sought in December 2026, construction from October 2027, and an opening targeted for October 2031, cutting the drive over the hill from about 30 minutes to five.

Prices17/10/2026

A common-ticketing scheme will cap the starting fare at 17 baht and the total fare for any trip across Bangkok's electric rail lines at 45 baht from January 1, 2027, with the government refunding the difference when a trip costs more.

Travel16/10/2026

State Railway of Thailand has extended the current operator's contract for the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link to January 31, 2027, after which an SRT subsidiary takes over for good — a firm deadline with no further extensions planned.

Travel13/10/2026

Riyadh Air is scaling up its Riyadh-Bangkok service from three flights a week to daily (seven weekly) during October 2026, as Thailand's aviation authority confirms winter-season slots for the route.

Travel13/10/2026

Virgin Atlantic begins a new nonstop service between London Heathrow and Phuket on October 18, 2026, flying three times a week — the airline's first-ever route to Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Prices12/10/2026

The Transport Ministry has raised toll caps on the Prachim Ratthaya Expressway (formerly Si Rat-Outer Ring Road) for the first time since 2021, taking effect December 15, 2026.

Travel11/10/2026

Norse Atlantic Airways will add a new nonstop London Gatwick–Phuket service for the 2026/27 winter season, flying three times a week from December 2026 to mid-April 2027.

Safety11/10/2026

From November 1, 2026, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok must verify the identity of anyone buying ads targeted at users in Thailand, as part of a push to cut scam advertising.

Events10/10/2026

The fifth Bangkok Art Biennale runs from October 29, 2026 to February 28, 2027, spreading work by Thai and international artists across temples, museums and shopping centres citywide, including Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the National Museum Bangkok.

Events10/10/2026

The Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo opens November 1, 2026 and runs 134 days to March 14, 2027 at the Nong Dae wetland, the first expo of its kind in Thailand's northeast.

Travel10/10/2026

Thai Vietjet Air began daily nonstop flights between Suvarnabhumi and Kuala Lumpur on October 9, its first route into Malaysia, with fares on sale through to late March 2027.

Travel09/10/2026

EZY Airlines is starting Friday-to-Monday flights between Hua Hin and U-Tapao airports from October 23, with fares from 2,900 baht and tickets on sale from October 10, adding a direct link between the two resort areas.

Travel09/10/2026

Thailand's Similan and Surin marine national parks reopen to visitors and overnight stays on October 15 after their five-month seasonal closure, and will run through to May 15, 2027.

Prices07/10/2026

The Revenue Department is consulting the public until October 29 on a draft Departure Tax Act that would charge everyone, Thai or foreign, 1,000 baht each time they leave Thailand by air, with a legal ceiling of 5,000 baht. It has not been enacted and would not take effect until 180 days after publication if it passes.

Travel07/10/2026

LOT Polish Airlines started nonstop Warsaw–Suvarnabhumi flights on 7 October 2026, three times a week at first and five times a week from 26 October through the winter season.

Travel01/10/2026

The Department of Land Transport has scrapped the colour-vision test for licence renewals and waived the brake-reaction test for most drivers 55 and under, cutting one step from routine renewals.

Travel01/10/2026

Two of Thailand's best-known monsoon-closure attractions, Krabi's Maya Bay and Loei's Phu Kradueng, reopened to visitors on October 1 and will stay open into mid-2027.

Travel01/10/2026

Edelweiss Air, Kuwait Airways and Belavia are each launching new nonstop routes to Phuket between October 25 and 29, adding three fresh options into the island's winter high season.

Travel01/10/2026

From October 1, Thailand's Transport Ministry scores ride-hailing platforms on a 100-point scale and suspends or revokes those that keep dispatching unlicensed drivers or unregistered vehicles, giving riders a standing way to judge which apps are being kept in line.

Safety22/09/2026

On September 22, Thailand's Cabinet approved a draft Cannabis Control Bill that would restrict cannabis to medical treatment and research, ban recreational use outright, and force existing cannabis shops to close or convert into licensed clinics by 2028; the bill still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it becomes law.

Travel15/09/2026

Vietnam Airlines began flying Ho Chi Minh City to Phuket in July, and flydubai has doubled its Dubai-Bangkok service to twice daily from September 15, adding two new nonstop options for travellers.

Real estate12/09/2026

A 2026 market survey values Phuket's residential and accommodation stock at 705 billion baht, the highest of any Thai province outside Greater Bangkok, with resort villas and condos aimed at foreign buyers accounting for most of that value.

Immigration18/08/2026

A new commerce ministry regulation removes the Foreign Business Act permission requirement for seven narrow categories of intra-group and specialist services, but the ministry says hotels, restaurants and tours are not among them.

Travel15/08/2026

Operator BEM confirmed on August 15 that the first of the Orange Line's 32 new trains will reach Thailand in late November, with the 17-station eastern section between Thailand Cultural Centre and Min Buri due to start trial passenger service in late 2027 and open fully in early 2028.

Travel01/08/2026

The State Railway of Thailand began daily air-conditioned Bangkok Connex (BNEX) service between Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal and Ayutthaya on August 1, running six weekday and four weekend round trips, with a promotional 30-50 baht fare running through October 31.

Immigration01/08/2026

Thailand's Immigration Bureau released the THIM app on August 1, letting foreign visitors file their Digital Arrival Card from a phone, with visa extensions and 90-day reporting planned as future features; it has already passed 600,000 downloads.

Travel15/06/2026

Finnair and Scandinavian Airlines have each secured slots for two weekly return flights to Krabi as part of Thailand's winter 2026/27 schedule, adding direct links from Helsinki and Copenhagen from October 25.

Travel27/05/2026

Thailand has permanently ended its decades-old 2pm-5pm alcohol sales ban, allowing continuous retail and restaurant sales from 11am to midnight nationwide, with some venue-specific exemptions.

Immigration29/01/2026

Bangkok Bank and Kasikorn Bank have tightened new-account rules so that tourists and Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) holders are generally refused, while retirement, work, marriage and long-term visas remain accepted — a practical factor to weigh when choosing a visa route.