Thailand To Reopen Borders to More Vaccinated Tourists
After seeing what other countries have been doing in terms of reopening its borders – especially fellow Southeast Asia nation Singapore – Thailand will do the same.
The country said today it will abandon mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors from 10 low-risk countries, including the United States.
Thailand is a hugely popular tourist attraction, from the bustling energy of its biggest city in Bangkok to resort areas like Phuket.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said visitors from the approved list of countries will not have to quarantine if they are fully vaccinated.
The new policy goes into effect on November 1, with more countries expected to be added on December 1. Chan-Ocha said he will also consider allowing Thailand’s restaurants to resume the sale of alcohol starting on December 1, according to Fortune magazine.
“With these developments, we must act quickly but still cautiously, and not miss the opportunity to entice some of the year-end and new year holiday season travelers during the next few months to support the many millions of people who earn a living from our tourism, travel and entertainment sectors as well as the many other related sectors,” Prayuth said.
Thailand, like other countries, is adapting to a ‘new normal.’ Instead of implementing restrictions, the nation is instead adopting a mantra of learning to live with the virus.
He might not have a choice otherwise.
Fortune noted that Thailand saw foreign tourist arrivals plunge to 73,932 in the first eight months of this year, from almost 40 million visitors who generated more than $60 billion in revenue in 2019.
“All that visitors will need to do is to show that they are COVID-free at their time of travel with an RT-PCR test undertaken before they leave their home country, and do a test in Thailand, after which they will be free to move around Thailand in the same way that any Thai citizen can do,” Prayuth said.
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