Berita Desk delivers breaking news, politics, business, sports and lifestyle coverage from Malaysia and Southeast Asia — trusted, timely and independent.
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Pattaya this week with nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines, offering a potential economic shot in the arm for the struggling resort city whilst authorities brace for rising exploitation risks.
Thailand has approved 30-day visa-free stays for Indian visitors to attract high-spending tourists for destination weddings and celebrations, projecting 2.7 million arrivals by 2027 as part of a broader strategy to tap affluent regional markets.
Thailand is introducing a 1.75-billion-baht domestic tourism subsidy in September while proposing a fee on foreign visitors to finance infrastructure, safety, and environmental projects across the tourism sector.
Thai authorities rescued three Indian tourists from a Pattaya townhouse on Monday, July 27, after they were allegedly abducted and held for ransom by a transnational gang demanding approximately 1.4 million baht per victim.
Five Italian students and their supervisor apologised at a Bangkok police station following a confrontation with a Thai woman aboard a BTS train. The group was fined 1,000 baht each for insulting behaviour.
The Italian Embassy in Bangkok has formally apologised following a viral video showing Italian school students behaving disruptively on the BTS Skytrain. The incident has prompted discussions about visitor conduct and respect for local customs across Southeast Asia.
Thailand attracted 17.36 million foreign tourists from January to mid-July 2024, producing 838.73 billion baht in revenue. The kingdom saw a 3.05% decline versus the same period in 2023, though recent weeks showed renewed momentum driven by airline expansion and regional holidays.