A Message from our Thailand office:
Hello from Bangkok!
Hello from green and pleasant Thailand,
This rainy season, the big news from Thailand is about a recent flood of new visa extensions. The government has extended both the number of countries eligible and the length of stay on offer, which is great news for international travellers in Thailand! Visa exemption has now been extended to 60 days for citizens from 93 countries/territories worldwide, and VoA is now available for 31 countries/territories. In addition, a newly-launched digital nomad visa enables stays up to 180 days.
In other news, a total of five cultural destinations across Thailand have been added to a UNESCO list of potential new world heritage sites. The latest entry, the fifth, is the idyllic and culturally rich towns surrounding Songkhla Lake. The four other sites on the list are Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat; Chiang Mai’s historical and cultural sites; Wat Phra Tat Phanom, in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom; and Phimai, along with the nearby temples of Phanomroong and Muangtam. Panorama Destination Thailand runs tours to UNESCO Heritage sites in Thailand all year round.
This month, the Royal Thai Navy is organising four of 12 rehearsals in preparation for the Royal Barge Procession that will mark this year’s Royal Kathin ceremony, to be held at Wat Arun on 27 October. August will also see many events and festivals happening around Thailand, including Mother’s Day and the Queen Mother’s birthday, on 12 of August. Please note that Panorama Destination Thailand will be closed on this date.
In addition to being the rainy season, it is currently our high season for the Dutch market at the moment. We currently have many groups and FITs from the Netherlands traveling all over Thailand. At this time of the year, visitors will likely experience rain in most places. For beach lovers and island hoppers in search of summer sun, we recommend the south-eastern islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao more than Andaman side.
The central, north and northeastern part of the country are fresh and green with less rain, where visitors can still enjoy cooler temperatures. In places like Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Krabi, sea tours are more challenging at this time of year, with high tides and occasional storms. Land excursions and overland packages are still fine and that’s what we recommend for visitors at this time.
Wherever your clients are headed, we’ll be happy to make their stay an unforgettable adventure. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or special requests. We look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Pat Pattaranan Sappattarabune
General Manager, Panorama Destination Thailand.
Destination digest: Thailand news in brief
A selection of bitesize stories and positive developments making the news in the Land of Smiles recently:
Thailand expands visa-free entry to 93 countries
Thailand has expanded its visa-free entry scheme to 93 countries and territories as it seeks to revitalize its tourism industry. Visitors can stay in the South-East Asian nation for up to 60 days under the new scheme that took effect on Monday. Previously, passport holders from 57 countries were allowed to enter without a visa. Thailand recorded 17.5 million foreign tourists arrivals in the first six months of 2024, up 35% from the same period last year, according to official data. Most of the visitors were from China, Malaysia and India.
(source: BBC)
TAT launches ‘Amazing Thailand Passion Ambassador’ initiative
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), together with TikTok, Thailand and Klook Thailand, has announced the “Amazing Thailand Passion Ambassador” initiative, inviting tourists and content creators to share their Thailand travel videos for a chance to win prizes worth more than two million Baht. Entrants are invited to post their engaging Thailand’s travel videos on TikTok from 1 to 31 August 2024. Winners will be announced on 15 September 2024 via the Amazing Thailand social media accounts.
(source: TAT)
Thailand sees higher growth as tourism recovery gains momentum
Thailand’s government expects the economy to expand faster than it initially projected, thanks to a rebound in exports and near-record foreign tourist arrivals boosting private consumption. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy will probably grow 2.7% this year, compared with an earlier forecast of 2.4%, Finance Ministry officials told reporters on Friday. That performance will be driven by an estimated 4.5% growth in private consumption, which accounts for nearly 60% of gross domestic product.
(source: Bloomberg)
Thailand set to fully recover in 2025
Our 2024 forecast for Thailand’s tourist arrivals is growth of 28.3% y-o-y to 36.1mn. However, the market’s 2024 arrivals will fall short of the pre-pandemic level in 2019, meaning that the recovery will still be playing out over the year. We forecast a further expansion in Thailand’s tourist arrivals in 2025, growing by by 15.1% y-o-y to reach 41.6mn within the year, marking a full recovery. The market’s arrivals will continue to increase over the remainder of our medium-term forecast period (2024-2028), primarily driven by key source markets.
(source: Fitch Solutions)
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