Thailand Travel Tips

Thailand has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. The Southeast-Asian country has gone through 3 prime ministers in the last 12 months, faced an influx of refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar and endured a week-long airport closure due to anti-government protesters. It sounds like to last place on earth where people should spend their holidays. However, Thailand is really a great escape, especially now in the winter season.

Not long ago, Bangkok’s international airport was closed and all flights in and out of Thailand cancelled for over a week. Several hundred thousand tourists were stranded without any flights taking them where they needed to be. As a result, many tourists that were about to leave to Thailand cancelled their flights and went elsewhere. This has lead to hotels in Thailand reporting very low occupancy rates and flights into Thailand are half empty as well. This slump in demand has been reinforced by the global economic downturn and the trend towards short-haul holidays.

However, because there is so much unused hotel and flight capacity in Thailand, operators offer significant discounts on holidays to the country. Flights to Bangkok can be had for up to 30% less and some hotels in Thailand’s resort areas like Pattaya or Phuket offer rooms for up to 70% less. So for holiday makers in Europe or North America who what to escape the winter cold, Thailand is the best bargain this winter season.

The country is well knows of its pristine beaches, friendly people and authentic cuisine. English is widely spoken and for many nationalities no visa is required to enter the country. Despite the recent unrests, travel within the country is considered to be very safe.

International flights generally arrive in Bangkok where people can connect to flights throughout the country by one of the local airlines. Thai Airlines, Bangkok Airlines and Nok Air have multiple flights a day to all major cities and tourist resorts in Thailand. All these airlines currently offer promotions from Bangkok to most of their destinations.

Since many neighboring countries also similar problems like Thailand, this season might also be a good opportunity to explore some of the other countries in Indochina. Flights from Bangkok are generally cheap, especially since now many low-cost airlines offer flights to Thailand.

Travelers should observe the situation in Thailand closely before making a decision to go there. However, this winter season the country is more affordable than under normal circumstances. So visit Thailand now!