Thailand’s Treasury Department Eyes Reduction of Land and Building Rental Fees
Thailand’s Treasury Department might consider lowering its land and building rental fees to 25% of its normal rate on a case-by-case basis, with the aim of easing the burden on tenants, given the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Department Director-General Yuttana Yimgarun said many tenants have been suffering from declining revenues since…
Int’l tourists arrive on Ko Samui as island relaxes quarantine requirements
The Samui Plus campaign got underway today with the arrival of the first international visitors, as the island officially opened for foreign tourists, under more relaxed quarantine requirements. The first flight carrying international tourists visiting Ko Samui under the Samui Plus campaign landed at Samui International Airport around 11 a.m….
Phuket Sandbox, key to economic progress
After 14 days of allowing visitors to enter without quarantining, the Deputy Governor of Phuket province has confirmed the Phuket Sandbox project has proceeded as planned despite turnout not being as many as expected with just over 4,500 people arriving so far, generating cashflow of an estimated 450 million baht….
Samui Plus Program for Inoculated Tourists Should begin on July 15
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has revealed that the Samui Plus program, for inoculated tourists, should open for Certificate of Entry (CoE) applications this week, as Surat Thani is slated to open three islands on July 15. TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the approval process will not be delayed,…
Thailand will open to tourism in mid-October
After more than the six weeks of combating the upticks in virus infections throughout the country, the Prayut government announced last Wednesday that Thailand will be open for tourists to visit within 120 days. This would mean that by the morning of October 15, visitors from local and abroad can…
Pattaya to pilot Ko Lan tourism reopening
Pattaya City now aims to reopen Ko Lan off the coast of Chonburi province for international tourism in the near future, before extending the opening to other parts of the city, in line with the government’s 120-day country reopening goal. The Mayor of Pattaya Sontaya Khunpluem said today the city…
Thai Government Will Launch New Measures to Help Small Businesses
Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) reports that the government will introduce new measures to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cope with the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. NESDC secretary-general Danucha Pichayanan said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has scheduled a joint meeting, on 23 June, with…
Phuket ready for July reopening as 62% population vaccinated
Phuket province is now ready to go ahead with the Phuket Sandbox reopening to limited quarantine-free tourism for fully vaccinated international visitors. The province’s vaccine rollout is gaining speed with some 62% of the local population now having received at least one dose. Phuket province is now just steps away…
Politicians react to 120 day deadline for reopening of nation
The spokesperson to the economic body of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has confirmed the government will tread carefully in its plan to reopen the nation in 120 days but acknowledged that some risk is inherent in the interests of returning to normalcy. Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s…
Cross-Border Payments on a Budget: Our Best Money-Saving Tips
A UN study from 2013 found that 3.2 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries other than the one they were born in, making a total of about 232 million expatriates around the globe. At the time, that was a significant increase from 175 million in 2000 and 154…