Thailand Further Relaxes Travel Restrictions

From its energetic, wild capital city of Bangkok to its glorious beaches in Phuket and Koh Samui to its ancient cities of Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai, Thailand has long been a popular global tourist destination.

Now the Southeast Asia nation is joining others throughout the world to make it easier for travelers to visit.

Starting April 1, any tourist who is already vaccinated will not have to submit to a COVID-19 test before entering Thailand, the government announced on Friday according to USA Today.

Visitors will still have to take an RT-PCR test once they arrive in Thailand and give themselves a rapid antigen test on the fifth day of their stay.

It’s just another move by the country to restore its lucrative tourism trade in the wake of the devastating effects of the pandemic that set in two years ago, even though it comes at a time when COVID cases are up in Thailand. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just last week placed Thailand on its Level 4, do not travel risk category for visitors.

Clearly, the government felt it could not wait any longer to re-introduce – and embrace – tourism to the country.

Still, Thailand is taking precautions such as the RT-PCR test and rapid antigen test, as well as scaling back its annual Songkran Festival in April which celebrates the Thai New Year. USA Today also noted that almost 79 percent of its citizens have received one dose of the vaccine, more than half have taken both shots and about a quarter have been given the booster.