News
23-Apr-2020
VISA Extension Relief Measures
As the South African Marketing representative office for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), The Thai Government has officially announced that foreigners within the country from as of 26 Mar...
As the South African Marketing representative office for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), The Thai Government has officially announced that foreigners within the country from as of 26 March 2020 will have their VISAS automatically extended until 31 July 2020.
Please see below links to the latest information supplied by trusted sources:
03-Apr-2020
TAT update: Summary of Phuket’s measures to combat the spread of COVID-19
Bangkok, 02 April, 2020, at 10.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to provide a summary of Phuket’s measures and restrictions to combat the spread of the Coronaviru...
Bangkok, 02 April, 2020, at 10.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to provide a summary of Phuket’s measures and restrictions to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). TAT thanks all international and domestic tourists for their understanding of the situation and urges all to cooperate with the authorities to be a part of the nationwide effort to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus.
1. Closure of all types of hotels and similar establishments which have permits according to the Hotel Act 2004, with the exception of hotels designated as hospitals and emergency venues. Hotels currently occupied, which are to be closed after the last guests have checked out, must report details of all guests to the local authorities. Effective from 4 April, 2020, until further notice.
2. Local residents and tourists are kindly asked and sought collaboration to remain in their residence from 20.00 – 03.00 Hrs. with the exception of urgent errands, until further notice.
3. People and all kinds of vehicles and vessels are prohibited from entering and leaving the province via the Tha Chat Chai Checkpoint and all marine transportation channels, except for vehicles and vessels transporting consumer goods, medical supplies and essential items, rescue and emergency vehicles and vessels, and state vehicles and vessels, until 30 April, 2020. Phuket International Airport will be closed from 10-30 April, 2020.
4. All beaches, zoos, animal shows, boxing stadiums, all types of sports stadiums, fighting cock and fish facilities, and water parks are to be closed until further notice.
5. Bang La Street in Area 2 of Kathu district is closed to people and vehicles, except for those who live in the area, until 10 April, 2020.
6. The following venues and services are closed until 30 April, 2020, with some exceptions for certain essential services:
- Traditional Thai massage parlours.
- Entertainment venues, theatres and playhouses.
- Entertainment venues and other similar venues not stated in Section 3 of the Entertainment Act 1966.
- All types of body massage establishments stated in Section 3 of the Health Establishment Act 2016, which includes spas, health and beauty massage establishments, excluding physiotherapy provided in hospitals or public health centres as stated in the law.
- Sports facilities; such as, fitness, yoga and aerobics centres or outdoor fitness classes.
- Boxing and martial arts schools (Wushu, Taekwondo, Thai boxing, boxing, judo, aikido, etc.)
- Children’s recreation facilities, including in any department stores, public parks or other places.
- Games and Internet shops.
- Some areas in department stores, shopping centres, large retail shops, hyper marts or stores which are of the same category, with the exception of supermarkets, pharmacies, and stores which sell miscellaneous goods necessary for daily use, banks, financial institutes, money exchange points, service centres for payment and mobile phone repair, or communication network systems of all concessionaires, and food outlets, which are permitted only to provide takeaway services.
- Restaurants, bars and food and beverage shops with the exception of food outlets or restaurants, which provide only takeaway services and restaurants in hotels for which service is permitted only for hotel guests.
- Fresh markets, flea markets and walking streets are only permitted to sell fresh, dried or cooked food for takeaway only or sell animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer goods, which are necessary for daily life.
- Seating areas in convenience stores, food shops, and supermarkets, which provide services to seated or standing clients.
- Tattoo and body piercing services, fortune telling, exorcising, horoscopes, worshipping establishments, or similar such activities.
- Amulet and small Buddha image centres or similar establishments.
- Snooker or billiard establishments.
- Golf courses and driving ranges.
- Pet services; such as, bathing, grooming, shelters, spas, or similar services.
- Beauty clinics, beauty institutes or shops or establishments, slimming establishments, barbershops and hair salons.
- Shrimp fishing and fishing ponds
- Public and private swimming pools, government operated swimming pools, and swimming pools in hotels including swimming pools in private hotel rooms.
- Dental clinics that are outpatient clinics.
- Public spaces that can be accessed for conducting group activities, including playgrounds, public parks, avenues alongside dams or reservoirs, the Saphan Hin Sports Centre, etc.
- Bike rental shops or similar services.
- All 24/7 convenience stores are to be closed nightly from 20.00 – 03.00 Hrs.
Penalties for any persons who violate or fail to comply with the measures range from less than one year in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 Baht or both.TAT is constantly providing updates on the tourism-related COVID-19 situation in Thailand at the TAT Newsroom (https://www.tatnews.org/). For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.For constant updates of Thailand’s COVID-19 control measures for travellers, please visit https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php
27-Mar-2020
Statement by the Prime Minister on 25 March 2020
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 25 March 2020 issued a statement on the state of emergency to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Dear Thai people, in the next months, we wi...
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 25 March 2020 issued a statement on the state of emergency to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Dear Thai people, in the next months, we will have to deal with a severe situation, which will bring many challenges and difficulties to our nation.
Now we are facing a test that we have never been through before. We also have to accept the reality that we are now at a crossroads and have reached a defining moment in the COVID-19 crisis, which could increase in severity many times over and thus affect our health, incomes, and daily lives.
Therefore, I will have to undertake stronger measures to further prevent the spread of this virus, including its effects on our economy.
From now, I will directly administer all measures in the fight against COVID-19, including disease outbreak prevention, medical care for citizens, compensation and assistance to affected persons, and the revival of our economy. I will head these tasks and therefore, report information directly to the people. Therefore, I will declare a State of Emergency for the Kingdom of Thailand, through the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005), from 26 March 2020 onwards.
The Cabinet has approved this and the Centre for the Administration of Spread of the COVID-19 Virus will now function as a Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation, under Section 7 of the Emergency Decree, to integrate the work of all government agencies, and issue comprehensive and clear orders directly to them to ensure swift, coordinated, and firm action. I will head this Centre with the following designations:
– Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health to oversee all public health issues for the emergency;
– Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior to oversee all orders to provincial governors and the Governor of Bangkok for the emergency;
– Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce to be charge on controls of all consumer products and medical supplies for the emergency;
– Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to oversee all foreign affairs issues related to the emergency, including assistance provided to Thai citizens overseas;
– Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to oversee all national security issues related to the emergency;
– Continued cooperation from advisory teams currently assisting with the Centre.
We will have daily meetings, with direct orders coming from myself to ensure uniformity and coordination throughout all the government agencies. I, or a delegated official, will report on developments directly to the people.
For specific declarations, there will be announcements following the Declaration of the State of Emergency, which will cover such issues as:
– Restrictions for access to risk areas;
– Closure of risk areas;
– Closure of entry/access points to the country;
– Restrictions/conditions on certain vulnerable groups (such as the elderly, the sick, and children) from leaving living premises;
– Restrictions on hoarding of consumer items, and ensuring of price controls on items;
– Restrictions on the deliberate dispensing of distorted information.
I ensure you that there will be no closures of stores that sell necessary or daily needs items.
Such measures will result in many inconveniences for the public, but I ask for all of us to make personal sacrifices for the public good. The most important thing to do now is to halt the further spread of this virus (which will involve restrictions into certain areas, with the use of technology to assist in this task, such as an application to monitor locations and quarantines), provide medical care to all affected persons, render assistance to our citizens, and revive our society and economy.
In addition, I will modify our public communications for enhanced clarity and comprehensiveness through only one daily announcement/press briefing that will include a situation report and recommendations for the public to follow. This is to avoid misinterpretations and the dispensing of false information.
I assure you that the people will receive official and verified information that is clear and transparent daily.
I also ask for cooperation from the media to be responsible in their reporting and use information from our daily announcement/press briefing, especially from our medical experts, rather than interviews from officials or medical personnel who should not be distracted from doing their urgent tasks. In this way, the media will be a great help for the public.
For social media users, we can all help by sharing useful and information obtained from our daily announcement/press briefing, while resisting and reporting on the sharing of false information that will harm the public. Instead we can be constructive and creative in sharing valuable information that the public can easily understand.
For those who are thinking of such things at a time when people are suffering, with a life or death situation – you will not get away with it. We will use every measure of the law to deal with your actions with firmness and resolve. The enforcement of laws involved with the Communicable Diseases Act will be strictly applied, and this covers the dereliction of duties for government officials.
Furthermore, the Government will need cooperation from all sectors, including the many talented and gifted people in our private sector and civil society, to join hands in this fight. In this week, I will dispatch teams to work with you and all sectors, to create understanding and learn about your needs and capabilities and ask for your cooperation to come and work together on this urgent matter.
From now on, there will be stronger measures taken by the Government to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus, which will affect the daily lives for all citizens. Please cooperate and be responsible towards society and strictly follow the measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Some people will consider them a restriction on personal liberties, but this will save lives. If we all understand and accept this, remain strong, and take this seriously, I am confident that it will not be long before we will be able to overcome this crisis.
This time will bring pain and hardships for all of us and this crisis will test our unity and resilience. But now is also the time to bring out the best in each other, through our courage, our kindness to one another, and the sacrifices that we must make to help others. This is very important for us all get to through this. The COVID-19 virus has caused much suffering and destruction all over the world, but it cannot destroy the kindness and unity of the Thai people.
As Prime Minister, I pledge to you all that I will do everything I can, so that Thailand can overcome this crisis. The safety and well-being of the Thai people are the most important.
Therefore, I ask all Thai people to have confidence and cooperate, so that we can overcome this crisis together. Our dear country will come out stronger, we will fight together, and we will win.
Thank you.
25-Mar-2020
TAT update: Temporary special exemption for transit passengers at Thai airports until 31 March
Bangkok, 25 March 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to inform foreign passengers transiting through Thailand to another country of the temporary relax...
Bangkok, 25 March 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to inform foreign passengers transiting through Thailand to another country of the temporary relaxed rules on required documentation between now and 31 March 2020.
According to the Office of International Cooperation, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health (https://www.facebook.com/OICDDC/posts/2818635368257038), foreign passengers transiting through Thailand to another country (with a transit time of no more than 24 hours) are to comply with the following:
For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.
According to the Office of International Cooperation, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health (https://www.facebook.com/OICDDC/posts/2818635368257038), foreign passengers transiting through Thailand to another country (with a transit time of no more than 24 hours) are to comply with the following:
– Provide a Health Certificate prior to boarding at the airport of origin confirming that the passenger is fit to fly.
– Pass through a thermal scan upon arrival in Thailand and pass through a thermal scan prior to departure from Thailand.
– These passengers are required to remain in the designated transit areas and strictly comply with the disease control measures applicable at the airport of transit in Thailand.
The aforementioned measures are effective only until 31 March 2020, 23.59 Hrs., Thailand local time. After these dates, transit passengers will be required to present all required documentation in accordance with the upgraded guidelines by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) (Click to see: Notification of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand on Practical Guidelines for Air Operators Performing Flights into the Kingdom of Thailand and Summary of Practical Guidelines for Air Operators).
TAT is constantly providing updates on the tourism-related COVID-19 situation in Thailand at the TAT Newsroom (https://www.tatnews.org/). Travellers can also keep up-to-date with the COVID-19 situation in Thailand at https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php.
For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.
This press release is published on 25 March, 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. All information is accurate at the current time but can be changed depending on the situation. The TAT Newsroom will not be updating this press release but will issue new updates as soon as further information becomes available.
24-Mar-2020
TAT update: COVID-19 prevention measures for travellers commuting by rail transport in Thailand
Bangkok, 24 March, 2020, at 15.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to inform international and domestic tourists of the second announcement on the COVID-19 preventi...
Bangkok, 24 March, 2020, at 15.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to inform international and domestic tourists of the second announcement on the COVID-19 prevention measures by the Department of Rail Transport, Ministry of Transport.
The guidelines cover both commuters and operators of rail transport in Thailand; namely, the State Railway of Thailand, Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRT Subway), Airport Rail Link, Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS Skytrain), and Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).
Effective as of 25 March 2020, the required guidelines include:
Wearing a mask – Commuters should wear surgery or cloth masks when inside the trains and in the stations.
Social distancing – The operators should take appropriate action to ensure that all commuters maintain a distance of at least two metres from each other.
Protecting staff – The operators should heighten health measures among staff to protect themselves, as they are working with large crowds.
Be prepared – The operators should always prepare appropriate areas to distribute surgery or cloth marks to ensure that all commuters wear masks when commuting in the rail transport systems.
Extra screening – The operators should increase screening points to screen all passengers’ body temperature using handheld thermometers before entering the stations.
In addition, the operators should inform commuters to prepare extra travelling time due to the extra screening. Any commuters with a body temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher, or those who do not cooperate with the screening should not be allowed to enter the rail transport systems and will be referred to the Ministry of Public Health for further appropriate measures.
Please be advised that the announcement by the Department of Rail Transport, Ministry of Transport may change at any time in accordance with the developing situation.
TAT is constantly providing updates on the tourism-related COVID-19 situation in Thailand at the TAT Newsroom (https://www.tatnews.org/). Travellers can also keep up to date with the COVID-19 situation in Thailand at https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php.
For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.
23-Mar-2020
TAT Updates for travellers to Thailand amidst COVID-19
The updates below are relevant to all travellers, Thai or foreign who are travelling to Thailand from 21 March 2020 until further notice from the Thai Government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand....
The updates below are relevant to all travellers, Thai or foreign who are travelling to Thailand from 21 March 2020 until further notice from the Thai Government and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Travelers from all nations and departure countries travelling to Thailand:
1. All nationalities except Thai residents will need:
- A health certificate clearing traveler of all COVID-19 related signs and symptoms issued no later than 72hrs prior to travelling
- Health insurance to the amount of $100 000 (US Dollars) that cover COVID-19
2. Thai Nationals:
- A health certificate to certify that the passenger is fit to fly
- A letter issued by the Royal Thai Embassy certifying that the passenger is a Thai National and returning to Thailand.
Travelers already in transit to Thailand:
- Travellers in transit who were unable to secure a health certificate will need to undergoCOVID-19 tests
Important Notice:
- To enter Thailand all travelers are to complete and present a T.8 or AOT “Airport of Thailand” Application
- Travelers will be subject to quarantine if they present any symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.
23-Mar-2020
Social distancing logo
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has temporarily redesigned the two main logos for international and domestic tourism, encouraging foreign and Thai tourists to maintain social distancing, as pa...
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has temporarily redesigned the two main logos for international and domestic tourism, encouraging foreign and Thai tourists to maintain social distancing, as part of the nationwide effort to combat the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
TAT understands that maintaining social distancing can be inconvenient, but it is for the greater good. As a state-run enterprise, TAT is doing our utmost to strictly implement preventive measures and heighten awareness for all tourists in Thailand to protect them from being exposed to the virus.
TAT has also taken a step further in line with the Thai government’s social distancing guidance by allowing our staff at the TAT Head Office and TAT Bangkok Office to work from home from today, 23 March until 5 April, 2020. Operations at the two offices in Bangkok are expected to resume from 7 April, 2020, onwards.
Official advice on social distancing
The Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand has advised the public to refrain from attending social activities and keep a distance of at least one metre from other people. The public should also refrain from unnecessary trips to crowded places and if possible, work from home. If people strictly implement self-protection, it can reduce the disease transmission.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) basic protective measures against the new coronavirus, maintaining social distancing is to maintain at least one metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. The WHO explained that when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.
20-Mar-2020
Thailand Civil Aviation Authority upgraded COVID-19 control measures for travellers
Bangkok, 20 March 2020, at 10.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide the latest update that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has upgraded its...
Bangkok, 20 March 2020, at 10.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to provide the latest update that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has upgraded its notification on the practical guidelines for airlines operating international flights to Thailand in its intensified effort to support Thailand’s nationwide surveillance measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
18-Mar-2020
60th anniversary video
Bangkok, 18 March, 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) today marked its 60th anniversary with a one-minute video to express its sincerest appreciation to all ...
Bangkok, 18 March, 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) today marked its 60th anniversary with a one-minute video to express its sincerest appreciation to all friends of Thailand.
