Phuket opens to all vaccinated travelers
Fully vaccinated travelers from any country can now book holidays to tourism haven Phuket, the Thai government has announced, under tweaks to a struggling quarantine-free travel scheme.
Thailand's tourism industry has been on its knees, with the corona virus pandemic and related restrictions slashing visitor numbers from 40 million in 2019 to a mere trickle over the last two years. Pre-virus, the sector made up a fifth of Thailand's national income, and the travel curbs have fed into the country's worst economic performance in more than two decades. The kingdom launched a "sandbox" scheme in July, which allowed fully vaccinated travelers from countries considered low-to-medium risk to roam free on the popular beach island for a fortnight, and then afterwards travel to the mainland without quarantine. Last week, authorities cut the required stay to a week, in line with national changes to quarantine rules.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced late Friday (Oct 1) that the scheme had been broadened from the around 80 countries already eligible. "This means Thailand is now welcoming travelers from any country in the world to the sandbox program," it said in a statement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said unvaccinated children would be able to travel with their vaccinated parents. The sandbox program has already lured more than 38,000 visitors to the white sands of Phuket, and generated US$66.67 million. But tourism operators are lukewarm on the revival of the island's economy, where 90 per cent of hotels have been shuttered.
They have been pleading for the government to simplify entry requirements to increase visitor numbers. The changes will allow previously excluded Indonesians and Malaysians to travel to Phuket. Before the pandemic, Malaysia was Thailand's second biggest source of tourists, with more than four million travelers visiting in 2019.
