Bangkok, 13 August 2026 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and in collaboration with the SUPPORT Foundation, is inviting Thai and international visitors to experience “Koh Kerd: The Living Legacy of Thai Craftsmanship”, a cultural route linking the Grand Palace in Bangkok with Koh Kerd in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Operating every Wednesday to Sunday until 26 December 2026, the route brings together Khon performing arts, Thai craftsmanship and traditional knowledge through visits to the Khon Learning Centre and the Arts of the Kingdom Museum.

The route is presented to mark the 12 August 2026 birthday anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. It reflects a royal legacy closely associated with the preservation of Thai arts, crafts and traditional skills. Through the SUPPORT initiative, generations of artisans have refined specialist techniques, sustained livelihoods and passed valuable knowledge from one generation to the next.

That legacy comes into focus on arrival at Koh Kerd, where visitors begin at the Khon Learning Centre with an introduction to Khon, Thailand’s classical masked dance drama, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The experience brings visitors closer to the performance, costume, music and craftsmanship that together define this distinctive art form.

The journey then continues by tram to the Arts of the Kingdom Museum, where works created by artisans trained through the SUPPORT programme showcase the depth and refinement of Thai craftsmanship. The museum collection highlights specialist techniques across Thai decorative arts, offering a closer look at skills and knowledge preserved across generations. Products and souvenirs are also available for purchase, while admission to the museum is complimentary in tribute to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.

For international visitors, the route adds another cultural dimension to a Bangkok–Ayutthaya itinerary beyond the province’s better-known historical attractions. With departure near the Grand Palace, visitors can independently explore the palace and surrounding historic district in the morning before continuing to Koh Kerd for an afternoon immersed in Thai performing arts and craftsmanship.

A complimentary shuttle departs at 11.00 Hrs. from Na Phra Lan Road, opposite Wiman Thewet Gate on the Silpakorn University side, and arrives at the Khon Learning Centre at approximately 12.30 Hrs. The return service departs the Arts of the Kingdom Museum at 15.30 Hrs. and arrives at Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, Building 4, at around 16.30–17.00 Hrs.

The service operates every Wednesday to Sunday until 26 December 2026 and accommodates up to 50 passengers per trip. Advance registration is required via the project’s designated booking platform at https://artofthekingdomfreebus.com/.

Through the route, TAT is expanding access to Thailand’s artistic heritage while encouraging travel between Bangkok and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. For families, independent travellers and visitors interested in art and culture, it offers a convenient way to experience the performing traditions, craftsmanship and knowledge that continue to shape Thailand’s cultural identity.

TrueMoney has partnered with the Korea Tourism Organization to launch the "Pay with TrueMoney, Travel Korea, Win X3" campaign, building on the success of their previous collaboration. Thanida Suiwattana, Chief Operating Officer for Business and Customer Strategy at TrueMoney, a leading digital payment and financial services provider in Southeast Asia, explained that the campaign offers comprehensive travel benefits including up to 2,000 baht in discounts on flights and accommodation, plus up to 20% cashback when paying through the TrueMoney app at participating Alipay+-enabled merchants in South Korea, with competitive exchange rates and no fees. The promotion runs from August 15 to December 31, 2025. Android users with NFC capability can also use TrueMoney's contactless tap-to-pay feature at EDC terminals in South Korea for up to 5% cashback.

During last year's campaign, the number of Thai travelers to South Korea increased 2.5 times, while spending through TrueMoney in South Korea grew threefold compared to the previous year, with Korean beauty products proving the most popular category. This success has prompted the expansion of both benefits and payment options in this year's campaign to better serve Thai travelers' preferences across diverse interests.

Park Seung Hyeok, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated that Thai tourists are a high-potential market with diverse interests in South Korea, including culture, food, nature, shopping, and lifestyle. The results of last year's partnership with TrueMoney demonstrated strong positive response and provided valuable insights into Thai travelers' needs. This year's campaign builds on that understanding, linking travel inspiration with benefits tailored to Thai tourists' requirements, making travel and spending more convenient and rewarding while allowing them to fully experience South Korea's charm at year-end.

Gulf Development Public Company Limited is building a green corporate culture through the expansion of its "Please Give Us Your Bottles" programme into its second year, scaling from its Bangkok headquarters to seven offices in the Eastern Zone of the Gulf group. Employees participated in sorting PET plastic water bottles from the source, and the 1,183 kilograms of PET bottles collected between January and July 2025 were handed over to Wat Chak Daeng temple for upcycling into new products such as monastic robes, blankets, clothing, and various household items made from plastic bottle fibre, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.48 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Sitthamon Ratanawalee, GULF's Strategic Planning Director, explained that the programme encourages employees to adopt simple, sustainable environmental practices through everyday plastic bottle sorting, ensuring waste enters proper management systems and is transformed into valuable new products. This year, GULF expanded the initiative to power plants in the Eastern region, collecting 1,183 kilograms of used PET bottles. Since the programme's launch in 2024, a total of 1,637 kilograms of PET bottles have been sorted, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3.42 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, demonstrating that fostering a culture of proper waste sorting and management within an organization can produce concrete environmental benefits.

Venerable Phra Maha Pranom Thammalankharo, abbot of Wat Chak Daeng, stated that the temple and GULF are collaborating to upcycle PET bottles into various products including clothing and blankets, with bottle caps transformed into commemorative keychains, creating benefits for society and the environment simultaneously. He noted that viewing waste as a resource for production creates value rather than disposal costs, and encouraged people to also manage "mental waste" such as anger, resentment, and attachment through mindfulness and compassion.

One participating employee expressed pride in the initiative, noting that despite being a small daily action of sorting bottles, it provides meaningful understanding of how collected PET bottles are utilized and contributes to broader environmental awareness.

Thailand's Energy Policy Management Committee has approved an additional 4.475 billion baht in refinery surplus profits to subsidize diesel prices for 31 days starting August 16, 2025. Energy Minister Eknath Promphan announced that the reduction of 2.40 baht per liter applies to all diesel grades at refineries, with the move marking the sixth round of such subsidies totaling approximately 17.422 billion baht in cost-of-living relief.

The decision comes as Thailand's six refineries generated a combined surplus of about 9.735 billion baht during July 2025. Of this, 2.815 billion baht was allocated in an earlier subsidy round, leaving 6.920 billion baht. The latest 4.475 billion baht allocation will deplete the fund to approximately 2.445 billion baht remaining for future management. The government is continuing to monitor global oil market volatility and refining costs to determine future subsidy measures, with officials emphasizing the need to balance consumer relief with fair treatment of all sectors.

Labour Minister Chulphan Amornvivat announced Thailand's preparations to host the 29th ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM) and related meetings scheduled for August 23-28, 2026, at Dusit Thani Bangkok. The conference theme is "ASEAN Human Capital Development: Skills Recognition Towards International Acceptance," aiming to elevate labour standards, promote skills certification, and strengthen regional labour cooperation among the 11 ASEAN member states to benefit over 357 million workers.

Almost all ASEAN members will attend, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) director-general will participate in discussions with ASEAN members. The meeting will also include the ASEAN Plus Three framework, bringing together 10 ASEAN nations and three dialogue partners: China, Japan, and South Korea, with Thailand as this year's host.

Thailand will present a three-pillar skills recognition ecosystem: certification of ASEAN vocational training curricula, ASEAN labour skills standards, and ASEAN centres of excellence. The initiative runs from 2026-2030 and will introduce the "ASEAN Digital Skills Passport" to enhance competitiveness of Thai and regional workers on the international stage.

Chulphan emphasized the need for common labour skills standards accepted across ASEAN member states to create unified development guidelines. As both a labour-sending and labour-receiving country, Thailand recognises the importance of shared standards. The ultimate goal is achieving regional and potentially international recognition to advance ASEAN's labour market in skills development, worker mobility, and competitiveness.

The meeting will also address labour market changes, particularly the impact of artificial intelligence on job structures, work patterns, and competition globally. AI poses new risks, especially for young workers and new market entrants, as automation may transform certain job types while workers lacking market-aligned skills face employment challenges.