Hua Hin strengthens flood prevention/Surfing in Hua Hin?/Trash Hero Hua Hin marks 500th clean-up/Breath test refusal equals drink-driving/Thailand Logs 839 Fire Hotspots/AI Technology Reads X-Rays/Isan sausage drying criticism/Man arrested for burning dog/A Pet-Friendly Nation- ECONOMY: Exporters warned of market tariff turmoil/Chamber Urges Swift US Tariff Talks/US warns partners to honor tariff deals/Asian economies weigh tariff moves/Reassess ‘chronic economic illness’/B579-billion Rail Investment Plan
- TOURISM: ‘Thank You Thailand’ Trend/Third in taxi scam complaints/Pattaya bustles/Phuket to Host Three Global Conferences/Phra Nakhon Khiri festival opens
- THAILAND EXPERIENCE: Thailand’s backpacking expiration date/Among world’s 20 most liveable countries
- CLIMATE THAILAND: Chiang Rai: A Sustainable Tourism Revival/Bangkok launches new electric water taxi
- HUA HIN TRANSPORT and LINKS
Hua Hin strengthens its flood prevention plan
A new flood prevention plan for Hua Hin moved forward on Friday as the deputy governor of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province led a multi-agency inspection aimed at reducing long-standing flood risks in the city.
On Saturday, Prateep Boriboonrat, deputy governor of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, together with Royol Chitradon, secretary-general of the Hydro-Informatics Institute (HII) Foundation under Royal Patronage, and the provincial water resource management working group, met officials at the Royal Hua Hin Golf Course to review measures designed to strengthen flood prevention in Hua Hin City Municipality. Continued …
Surfing in Hua Hin?
Huahin Surf Paradise 2026 created a lively atmosphere at Hua Don Beach over the weekend, as surf lovers from across Thailand gathered in Hua Hin for two days of competition, music, and community activities aimed at strengthening the country’s water sports scene.
The event marked the festival’s fifth consecutive year and coincided with the 20th anniversary of Rising Creation Co. The event was originally initiated by the Pineapple Surf Club team to highlight Hua Don–Hua Hin Beach as a viable surf destination capable of standing alongside more established locations. Continued …
Trash Hero Hua Hin marks 500th clean-up milestone
Trash Hero Hua Hin marked its 500th clean-up on Feb. 15, reaching a milestone for one of the town’s longest-running volunteer-led environmental initiatives.
The 500th clean-up took place at Khao Takiab, in front of the Phra Yuen area, where 22 volunteers spent one hour removing litter from the shoreline and surrounding public spaces. In total, they collected 66 kilograms of waste, including five kilograms of recyclable materials. Continued …
Breath test refusal equals drink-driving
Police have warned that a refusal to take a breathalyzer test will be treated as equivalent to drink-driving.
Deputy national police chief Samran Nualma said the directive follows the 2026 traffic discipline policy, which prioritizes the rigorous enforcement of traffic laws nationwide. He said drink-driving poses severe risks to public safety and must be addressed with transparency and consistency. Continued …
Thailand Logs 839 Fire Hotspots, Half Are In Forest Areas
Thailand recorded 839 fire hotspots Saturday, according to satellite data from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), with more than half detected in forest areas. The figures, gathered by the Suomi NPP satellite using the VIIRS system, underline continued concerns over haze and PM2.5 pollution.
Regional hotspot levels in neighboring countries remain significantly higher, raising the risk of cross-border haze depending on wind direction. Continued …
Siriraj AI Technology Reads X-Rays With 95% Accuracy
The Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital at Mahidol University has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) program to interpret lung and chest X-rays with accuracy above 95%, comparable to specialist radiologists. The system has already been used in more than 500,000 real patient cases. It can deliver results in under 10 seconds per case, significantly speeding up diagnosis.
The innovation was created by Siriraj’s Department of Radiology and was first developed during the Covid-19 pandemic to manage high patient volumes. Work on the system has continued beyond the pandemic, refining its performance and expanding its clinical use. Continued …
Isan sausage drying outside draws online criticism
One of Thailand’s most popular northeastern dishes, Isan sausage, has become the focus of an online debate after photos of a roadside vendor’s drying process circulated widely on social media.
Yesterday, a Facebook user shared images showing sausages being hung out to dry in the sun at a relatively low height above the ground. The post questioned hygiene standards, noting that the stall was located at an event where other vendors were unloading goods, raising concerns about dust, ground-level contamination, and air pollution. Continued …
Thai man arrested for beating and burning Siberian Husky in Songkhla
Police in Songkhla arrested a Thai man for beating and burning a Siberian Husky on Feb. 13. The suspect said he acted in retaliation after the dog attacked his rooster.
The two-year-old female Husky, Molly, escaped from her home in Songkhla, along with another dog, Betsy. Betsy was later returned home safely. Molly was found in critical condition after being beaten and burned, before escaping to a water pond where she remained until she was discovered. Molly was taken for treatment under royal patronage in Bangkok but died from her injuries on Friday. Continued …
Thailand is Rapidly Evolving into a Pet-Friendly Nation
Thailand is quickly becoming a pet-friendly country, as more young couples and city residents now choose pets over children, as birth rates fall and lifestyles change.
This trend, often called “pet parenting,” is reshaping daily life. As a result, the pet economy is growing fast, and brands, property developers, and advocacy groups are adjusting to keep up. Continued …
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Exporters warned of market turmoil after Supreme Court scraps Trump tariffs
The Thai Trade Center, Los Angeles, under the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, has assessed that Thai businesses linked to exports to the United States will face major disruption after the US Supreme Court, in a 6–3 decision, ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose “reciprocal tariffs” was unconstitutional and beyond the executive branch’s authority.
The Thai Trade Center said the ruling will force US-bound exporters, US importers and retailers to make significant adjustments to business processes to align with a court-ordered shift in the trading system. Businesses must also prepare for new forms of import-tariff policy that are expected to follow in the near future. Continued …
Thai Chamber Urges Swift US Tariff Talks
The Thai Chamber of Commerce has urged the government to accelerate trade negotiations with the United States after President Donald Trump announced an increase in the global import duty from 10% to 15%.
Chamber Chairman Poj Aramwattananont warned that the US “tariff game” is not over and said higher duties would raise costs, increase planning uncertainty, and heighten currency risks for Thai exporters. The chamber said tariffs are likely to remain a strategic policy tool with spillover effects on exporters and global supply chains, including Thailand. Continued …
US warns partners to honor tariff deals as Trump shifts tactics
Senior U.S. officials have confirmed that President Donald Trump’s defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court over import tariffs will not cause trade agreements negotiated with U.S. allies to collapse. The officials were defending the administration’s aggressive trade policy.
Those agreements — reached with partners including China, the European Union, Japan and South Korea — remain in effect, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said yesterday. He tried to distinguish those deals from the 15% global tariff Trump announced on Saturday. Continued …
Asian economies weigh latest Trump tariff moves
US trading partners in Asia started weighing fresh uncertainties on Saturday after President Donald Trump vowed to impose a new tariff on imports, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping levies he used to launch a global trade war.
The court’s ruling invalidated a number of tariffs that the Trump administration had imposed on Asian export powerhouses from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world’s largest chip maker and a key player in tech supply chains. Continued …
Government warned to reassess ‘chronic economic illness’
Being labeled the “sick man of Asia” has forced Thailand to reassess the long-standing problems causing its “chronic economic illness”. However, as the new government is expected to mirror the previous administration, the business sector doubts whether the repackaged leaders can rouse the country from its economic slumber, particularly regarding needed structural reforms.
Thailand actually risks becoming a “dead man” if the new government bases its selection of cabinet members on political quotas, said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). Continued …
SRT Approves B579-billion Rail Investment Plan
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) board has approved a 579,135-million-baht investment framework for fiscal year 2027, advancing three major rail projects, including double-track lines, Red Line extensions, and the Thai–Chinese high-speed railway Phase 2.
The decision was made at a board meeting lastw eeek. The proposal will be submitted to the Ministry of Transport before further consideration by the National Economic and Social Development Council and the Cabinet. Continued …
‘Thank You Thailand’ Trend Goes Viral with Tourists
A new social media trend has gone viral as foreign tourists conclude their visits to Thailand by posting “Thank you Thailand” videos, drawing widespread attention online. The clips show visitors bowing in gratitude and sharing detailed accounts of their trips.
Many travellers use the videos to summarize their experiences in detail. They recount how many days they spent in Thailand, how many steps they walked, and how much money they used during their stay. Some also specify the number of tuk-tuk and Grab rides they took, visits to 7-Eleven, Thai massages received, and plates of pad Thai and mango sticky rice consumed. Continued …
Thailand ranks third in taxi scam complaints
AllClear, a UK insurance company, has revealed research showing that taxi scams can occur anywhere and at any time, particularly when visitors appear unfamiliar with local fares. Since Decembe, the travel insurer has analyzed more than 450 Reddit posts and over 30,000 comments discussing taxi scams to identify the countries attracting the most complaints.
The study found that travelers are most likely to report problems in Turkey, which generated 4,224 comments — nearly double the figure for India in second place with 2,301 comments. Thailand ranked third with 2,169 comments, followed by Vietnam (1,741), Egypt (1,715), Australia (1,598), Mexico (1,367), Morocco (1,329), the United States of America (1,283), and Canada (995). Continued …
Pattaya bustles as foreign arrivals hit 130,000 a day nationally
Pattaya’s beachfront has returned to a lively, international atmosphere as Thailand’s peak tourism season gathers pace, with large numbers of foreign visitors flocking to the city each day. A recent on-site survey by reporters found beaches and public spaces busy with overseas tourists, underscoring renewed momentum in Thailand’s tourism recovery — particularly in major destinations favored by international travelers.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, foreign arrivals to Thailand have continued to rise since late 2025, reaching around 100,000 visitors per day before climbing further to approximately 130,000 daily in recent weeks. The increase reflects the impact of proactive tourism promotion, targeted marketing tailored to different source markets, and enhanced safety measures aimed at restoring traveler confidence. Continued …
Phuket to Host Three Global Conferences in 2026
Phuket has secured three major international MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) events in 2026, reinforcing its status as a world-class meetings destination and advancing global agendas on sustainability, wellness, and diversity.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) confirmed the island will host the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference (GSTC) 2026, the InterPride General Meeting & World Conference 2026, and the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) 2026. Continued …
Phra Nakhon Khiri festival opens in Phetchaburi
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, accompanied by his wife Thananon Niramit, Saturday presided over the opening of the 39th “Phra Nakhon Khiri – Mueang Phet” festival at Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park in Phetchaburi.
The annual event, held through March 1 at Phra Nakhon Khiri, also known as Khao Wang, aims to promote tourism and celebrate the province’s cultural heritage under the theme “Heavenly Palace of Phra Nakhon Khiri, Gem of Siam.” Continued …
Thailand’s backpacking era now has an expiration date
Soon enough, it appears the comfort of Thailand will be as marked up as any other run-of-the-mill overseas getaway. Price gouging and skyrocketing hotel rates are, of course, obvious reasons why tourists may be reconsidering spending the Thai baht. But the shift seems intentional.
As per a recent report, Thailand has been carefully recalibrating its pitch to the traveling demographic. Lisa of Blackpink being announced as the “Amazing Thailand Ambassador” is arguably the best specimen of this, followed by the tourist-led economy’s doubling down on wellness circuits and mega-scale events. Continued …
Thailand named among world’s 20 most liveable countries
The world’s most liveable countries tend to share a similar mix of strengths: impressive architecture, thoughtful urban planning, and cultures shaped by artistic expression. Creating a “liveable” destination is not necessarily tied directly to GDP or military power; instead, a sustained focus on design can play a meaningful role in improving quality of life.
Architectural Digest’s round-up of the “best countries to live in” for design lovers uses the latest US News & World Report “Best Countries in the World” ranking as a starting point, selecting 20 countries viewed as the strongest for design from that broader list. Continued …
Due to toxic pollution, Chiang Rai switching rivers for tourism
The landscape of northern Thailand has long been defined by its arterial waterways, but the story of Chiang Rai tourism is currently being rewritten out of necessity. Following a challenging period of environmental degradation and recurring natural disasters, the Mae Yao Subdistrict Administration is implementing a strategic shift in travel focus.
While the region has traditionally focused its aquatic festivities on the prominent Kok River, a shift to the Mae Yao River — a clean, untainted tributary — is now being promoted. This initiative was formalized at a recent community leaders and stakeholders meeting, with the primary goal of transforming a contamination crisis into a sustainable tourism opportunity. Continued …
Bangkok launches new electric water taxi with free trial rides
Step aboard Bangkok’s new electric water taxi and experience a cleaner, greener way to move through the city! Enjoy FREE trial rides until Feb. 28 via the MUVMI app and be among the first to try this fresh urban travel option.
Operating daily from 9 am–5 pm. Up to 6 passengers per boat. Route: Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem–Bang Lamphu. Continued …
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