General Information

The official language of Thailand is Thai; however English is spoken in hotels and main touristic places.

Standard time zone is UTC/GMT +7 hours.

Pattaya, located on the Gulf of Thailand, typically experiences a tropical climate with warm and humid weather throughout the year. March can experience temperatures above 30°C (86°F) and relatively low rainfall.

Registration fees do not include insurance of any kind. It is strongly recommended that all delegates take out their own travel and medical insurance prior to coming to ISTS42. The policy should include loss of fees/deposit through cancellation of your participation in the meeting, or through cancellation of ISTS42 itself, loss of airfares for any reason, medical expenses, loss or damage to personal property, additional expenses and repatriation should travel arrangements have to be altered. Neither the ISTS President or International Turtle Society will take any responsibility for any participant failing to insure. Please speak to your travel agent or airline in regard to this matter.

The official currency of Thailand is the Thai Baht, abbreviated as THB and often represented by the symbol "฿". It has denominations in bills of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000; and coins of 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000.

The exchange rate of 100 Baht fluctuates between $US2.80 and US$3.00.

The main credit and debit cards (MasterCard, Visa) are accepted at most hotels, major restaurants, and shops.

Tipping in Thailand differs from practices in Europe or America, as it is generally less common. It's important to understand that while tipping is not obligatory, it is always warmly received and appreciated. In Thailand, it's a common practice for locals not to tip, whether it's for taxi services, accommodation, or other service providers.

In Thailand, the voltage of domestic AC is 220 volt. Electrical sockets in Thailand are compatible with flat parallel prongs (Type A; like in the United States and Japan), flat parallel prongs with an extra prong for grounding (Type B), and two round pins (Type C; like in most European and Asian countries).