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Soaring fuel prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and related threats to Persian Gulf shipping are cascading through the Thai economy, from fishing to trucking and tourism. Here are some key points:
Tragically, three Thai sailors reportedly have not survived after being unable to escape the Thailand-flagged cargo ship that was among the first attacked near the Strait of Hormuz during the early days of the war.
Thailand is facing its “worst energy crisis in history … as global diesel prices have nearly tripled,” reports The Nation. “Pump prices for diesel and petrol hit an “all-time high” in late March and continue to rise.
“After April 1, you may see that there may be no fish sold because the fishing boats can no longer bear the cost of their crewmen, their families,” the president of the Samut Sakhon Fishmonger Association told Reuters in reference to a regional fishing industry that is nearing “a standstill.”
Diesel prices and shortages are “sewing chaos” for Thai farmers, who are also bracing for a fertilizer shortage. Truckers are struggling to ship perishable produce to markets due to the rising costs and, for several weeks last month, a lack of diesel availability hamstringing longer routes.
Ferries to popular tourism islands like Ko Samui and Ko Lan are increasing fares for the first time in years. As for buses, the government-run Transport Co. is reportedly not raising fares or canceling routes during the Songkran holidays from April 13th to 15th. Other bus companies are taking more of a wait and see approach, as some Thais are opting to skip Songkran travel.
Airlines all over Asia are drastically raising ticket fares as the price of jet fuel surges along with demand for flights that bypass the Middle East. Flight groundings and, potentially, small airline bankruptcies are expected later this year if the situation in the Persian Gulf is not resolved.
Thailand’s Immigration Dept. is providing extensions of stay and overstay fee waivers, among other measures, for travelers who have become stuck in Thailand due to flight cancelations in the Middle East.
Despite rising inflation driven by higher fuel costs, some hotels and resorts are actually cutting room rates in response to declining numbers of both inbound and domestic tourists. A six-month conflict in the Middle East could cost the country 150 billion baht, according to The Straits Times, and Phuket has reportedly lost 5.5 billion baht due to flight disruptions so far.
Rallies in protest of high fuel prices occurred recently at Laem Chabang Port and Government House and the Energy Ministry in Bangkok.
Last month, shortages at gas stations disrupted essential services like temple funeral cremations and backup generators at rural hospitals.
Panic buying at gas stations partially subsided after government price caps ended late last month. The situation remains fluid, though, and panic buying could resume if supplies dwindle over the coming months.
Prices of certain foods and essential goods remain capped, for now, although meat and egg prices are already creeping up.
Thailand’s energy crisis is currently at “level two,” with most fuels available but expensive, according to experts. “The third stage would represent a severe shortage, where fuel becomes unavailable regardless of price,” reports The Nation, adding that “Thailand’s total oil reserves across storage, tanks and contracted shipments are currently sufficient for 104 days.”
The government is having some luck with negotiations, having secured permission from Iran for a Thailand-flagged oil tanker to depart through the Strait of Hormuz late last month. Authorities are also seeking alternative fuel sources and instituting programs to ease the cost of living.
Thailand’s reliance on liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Persian Gulf for over a quarter of the country’s electricity needs is prompting urgent calls to prioritize renewable energies. For the time being, at least one decommissioned coal-fired power plant is revving up again to help meet demand.
Thailand is also an important oil and natural gas producer and exporter for Southeast Asia, placing it in a slightly better position than some of its neighbors. Tightened supply is severely hampering Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines, the first country to declare a fuel emergency late last month. The New York Times, the BBC, Fulcrum and NPR all recently covered the region’s vulnerability to the stoppage of fuel shipments from the Persian Gulf.
The heat index is approaching dangerous levels in much of Thailand; do be sure to hydrate and pace yourself when out and about. Up North, extreme heat has been accompanied by severe air pollution as forest fires rage in Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and other provinces. And relief might be delayed this year due to a “Super El Niño” that’s expected to prolong the heat and cause droughts.
Authorities are still working on salvaging the Panama-flagged container ship that sank off Phuket in February, causing a minor oil spill. Down in Narathiwat province, Marine Police rescued a 40 year-old fisherman who spent 20 hours clinging to his partially sunken jet ski early last month. Meanwhile, no one was hurt when 10 fishing boats went up in flames at a pier in Khanom on the Gulf coast.
The best beaches in Southeast Asia, from Thailand to the Philippines (Condé Nast Traveler, in characteristically arbitrary fashion, picks on Ao Tonsai in Krabi and Ao Khao Kwai on Ko Phayam. More interesting is the Beach Star program from Thailand’s Pollution Control Dept., which awarded five stars to the main beaches on Ko Kradan and Ko Hong for raising “the environmental quality of Thailand’s tourist beaches to international standards,” reports The Nation.
Where to stay, eat and unwind in Na Jomtien, Thailand (CNA offers tips on visiting a part of Pattaya where “visitors with no intention of partaking in the city’s seedier side can experience a wholly different brand of tourism.”)
A living zoo? On the Surin Islands (Travelling Troubadour has one writer’s take on some of Thailand’s most impressive national park islands. By the way, if you want to skip the Moken village, simply camp overnight on Ko Surin Nuea rather than visiting these islands on a day tour from the mainland.)
I’ve climbed across Asia and South America. This Thai village tops my travel tick list (Climber spotlights Railay, Tonsai and Ao Nang.)
There’s more to Phuket than mass tourism at the Thailand Biennale (The New York Times on the contemporary art festival happening until April 30th, which The Phuket News adds is helping to offset tourism challenges.)
Thai tourism stumbles: TAT reports 2.5% drop in foreign visitors in Q1, revises 2026 target to focus on revenue amid global risks (Thairath reports “the total number of foreign tourists in the first quarter of 2026 was 9.31 million.”)
30-day visa-free stay ‘sufficient’, says minister (Bangkok Post on a change that now appears likely and would reduce visa-exempt stays for foreign visitors from 93 countries from 60 to 30 days, keeping in mind that the original 60-day tourist visa will remain open to qualifying applicants.)
Why Thailand is reviving its 300-baht tourist fee plan (The Nation on how this long-proposed “landing fee” has come back to life, further evidencing the new government’s more conservative approach to tourism.)
Immigration warns of scam Digital Arrival Card websites (Bangkok Post reminds travelers to only use the official TDAC site at tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/.)
74-billion-baht Samui Sea Bridge set for 2029, 400 billion baht economic boost forecast (Khaosod English covers the latest public hearing on a proposed bridge that would span 22 km from northern Khanom to southern Ko Samui. In related news, the Songkhla Lake Bridge proposal also inched forward; and the Ko Chang Bridge proposal is up for new rounds of public hearings and could “be submitted to the Cabinet for approval in 2028,” reports IAmKohChang.
Construction underway on new Phetchaburi tourism route (Bangkok Post on the 37-km “Tanao Sri Kiri Phat tourism road” planned for a stretch of coastline amid the so-called “Thailand Riviera.”)
Li Pe Island faces rapid growth, 3,000 tons of waste, and water shortages (The Nation on how tourism is making life increasingly difficult for indigenous Urak Lawoi islanders, who frequently need to boat over to Ko Adang to find freshwater while struggling with high electricity costs and other downsides of mass tourism on this tiny island, where “fundamental systems have lagged behind.”)
Hat Yai’s floods are a warning for cities built against nature (analysis) (MongaBay takes an in-depth look at the flood that devastated Southern Thailand’s largest city last November, and what it could mean for other cities.)
Thailand’s national parks have a people problem (HaRDStories investigates simmering land conflicts between Natural Resources and Environment authorities and the people who live in disputed areas around national parks.)
Five arrested in Freedom Beach hills raid (The Phuket News on a major operation to root out “extensive encroachment” and “intimidation by influential groups” near this sparsely developed beach just south of Patong.)
Thailand to send 284 tonnes of e-waste back to US (Bangkok Post on a shipment at Laem Chabang that was “falsely claimed to hold scrap metal from Haiti.”)
The Thai Andaman’s declining population of endangered dugongs has finally been getting significant attention in the media, including a 15-minute video report by The Guardian that follows a young Thai conservationist, as well as similarly insightful articles from Adventure.com and The Nation.
“More than 120 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin were spotted swimming near Koh Tachai in Mu Ko Similan National Park” in mid March, according to Thai Enquirer on Twitter. Sadly, a dead striped dolphin with a gash on its head washed up on the nearby Takua Pa coast.
On Ko Phi Phi Leh, the famous Maya Bay remains a “vital nursery ground for blacktip reef sharks” after boats and swimming were banned in line with the 2022 reopening of the site following years of rehabilitation.
“Two endangered thin-snouted freshwater crocodiles were recently seen in the wild for the first time in decades” in Narathiwat, reports Bangkok Post, adding that two more endangered freshwater crocs turned up in the Phetchaburi River near Kaeng Krachan National Park.
Authorities captured a wild tiger that strayed from Khao Wong National Park and helped itself to several pigs at a farm in Kamphaeng Phet.
Population shrinks to 65.8m (Bangkok Post shares a list of Thailand’s 10 most populous provinces that might surprise some readers.)
Inside the coconut cartel: how Chinese money squeezes Thai farmers (SCMP reveals how March “brought the lowest prices on record: two baht [six US cents] per coconut – less than a stick of chewing gum.”)
Thai cannabis shops given 3 years to transform to clinics (Bangkok Post on how the new government is sticking with a framework that was initiated last year and aims, in theory, to allow cannabis for medical uses only.)
Fake building permit racket uncovered on Koh Samui (Bangkok Post)
UPDATE: Phuket residents petition against reopening Big Buddha site after landslide tragedy (The Phuket Express)
Archaeologists uncover war drums in Phetchaburi (Bangkok Post on the 1,500 year-old artifacts found at Ban Don Phlap.)
Underwater Hanuman sculpture handed over ahead of installation (The Phuket News on a new attraction for divers at Ko Racha Yai.)
Thai-built drones tested to speed medicine delivery to remote islands (Bangkok Post shares a new drone program for health, not war.) 🌴
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