Phuket’s hotel industry is reaching breaking point and the government needs to step in and offer serious economic support to help it survive the upcoming high season, industry leaders said.

Membership of the National Savings Fund (NSF) has dropped by 500,000 to 2.4 million during the Covid-19 crisis, as people have been unable to maintain their annual contributions, said its secretary-general Jaruluk Ruangsuwan.

More Thais are flying to this southern island resort province for a holiday, providing a boost for local tourism confidence, Phuket international airport director Thani Chuangchu said.

The government on Wednesday reported one new case of coronavirus disease, a Japanese film producer already in quarantine in Bangkok, raising the total number of cases to 3,447.

A proposal for a 2.9 billion baht mega-development in the Cape Bali Hai area of this tourist city was approved at a public hearing on Tuesday.

The Bank of Thailand (BOT) said some 85 per cent of retail debtors struggling in the fallout of Covid-19 have applied for the second-phase of debt relief, while Kasikornbank projects 60 to 70 per cent of debtors will be able to start repaying their debts once the subsidy wraps up.

The government on Tuesday reported one new case of Covid-19 infection, a quarantined Indian man who returned from abroad, raising the total number of cases to 3,446.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) provided updates on Monday (September 7) of the people who are suspected of having been in contact with the 37-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 while in detention at the Central Special Correctional Institution for drug charges.

The government on Monday reported one new case of the coronavirus disease 2019 over the past 24 hours, a returnee from India, as total cases rose to 3,445.

Popular tourist destinations were teeming with holidaymakers over the four-day long weekend, giving the ailing tourism industry some hope of recovery.

Giving at least some local business and hotel owners a welcome reprieve, Pattaya was bustling Saturday night as thousands of domestic Thai tourists spent the weekend in Pattaya.

The Immigration Bureau has urged foreigners to renew their visas before the end of an exemption which falls on Sept 26.

Environment minister says natural habitat needs regular recovery breaks from tourism

Several leading Walking Street business owners, from seafood restaurants, to small shops to bars have warned of a “total collapse” of the Pattaya tourist industry if the Thai government does not find a way to allow in foreign tourists.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has lifted its ban on food and drinks served on domestic flights, according to the authority's director-general Chula Sukmanop.