Thailand Health & Safety

The ease of traveling in Thailand has made it a front-runner of the tourism industry, with more visitors coming here than any other country in Southeast Asia. As a result, the industry's infrastructure is well developed and caters to visitors from all walks of life.

Accommodation ranges from budget guesthouses to five-star hotels and luxuriant resorts, and hospitals pamper medical tourists in lavish recovery suites. Restaurants, while relatively inexpensive, are sanitary and food borne illness is rare. Dengue fever has been on the rise in recent years in urban areas, so mosquito repellent is a good idea.

Generally, the streets of Thailand are relatively calm. Even during the recent coup (a recurring problem for this country), the changeover was low-key and bloodless. Visitors should practice extra caution when traveling outside of main tourist areas, and a little common sense goes a long way toward staying safe. The only real area of concern is the southernmost region where separatist groups occasionally resort to violence. These areas are hours away from the tourism hubs of Bangkok and Chiang Mai.