Vaccinated foreign tourists are allowed to visit six tourist Thai provinces from April
A tourist in Phuket
Foreign tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to visit six tourist provinces from next month. There is still a mandatory quarantine, but it will be reduced from 14 to 7 days.
In July, Phuket will be the first province to waive the quarantine requirement for vaccinated foreign visitors as part of the government's plan to reopen the country.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Friday that the Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has approved a three-step plan to reopen six major tourism provinces to vaccinated foreign visitors. These are Phuket, Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani (Koh Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai.
From April to June, vaccinated foreign visitors arriving in these provinces only need to self-quarantine for seven days in designated hotels or other accommodations. From July to September, vaccinated tourists can visit Phuket without going into quarantine, the so-called 'Phuket Tourism Sandbox' program. That program will serve as the basis for reopening Thailand's tourism industry, Phiphat said.
Despite the quarantine exemption, tourists' travel activities on Phuket will be restricted to "set itineraries" for seven days before being allowed to visit other locations. Tourists must install a contact tracing app. Between October and December, the 'Phuket sandbox model' will be applied to five other tourist provinces, then quarantine for vaccinated tourists will no longer apply. A full reopening of the country, without restrictions, is expected to take place in January 2022, Phiphat said.
“CESA approved in the reopening plan to allow foreign tourists who are fully vaccinated to visit Phuket from July 1 without going into quarantine, as proposed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Phuket will be the first and only province to be exempt from quarantine from July 1,” said Phipat.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn expects about 100.000 foreign tourists to arrive in Phuket between April and June, and more foreign tourists are expected from July. In total, about 6,5 million foreign visitors are expected this year after the reopening of the country.
According to the plan, tourists wishing to participate in the proposed quarantine-free program must present a vaccination certificate, vaccine passport or International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel pass.
Source: Bangkok Post
Will not work as long as quarantine remains and people cannot travel wherever they want throughout Thailand.
Jm
Please read the message carefully..
It's a step in the right direction, I'm from Chiang Mai and I'm happy for Phuket that "something" is happening.
Of course it won't be full and 100 thousands won't come at the same time, but believe me, many people will use it... And many locals will be happy with it!
7 days around Phuket and then Thailand.. Why not?
Bit of positivity….
In any case, I would be happy with our guesthouse :)
Every bit helps..
Regards,
Marcel
I don't think it's a step in the right direction. Thailand benefits more if a sound and sound rural tourism return policy is developed. Randomly dropping all kinds of ideas and thoughts, reinforces the impression that Thailand is not working on a well-designed vaccination program. But of course, you have your own interests and you hope for better times? Just believe me, they won't arrive this year for the simple reason that all countries worldwide are struggling with how and when tourism will pick up again.
This has only been approved by CESA. This does not mean that it has actually been approved. It is one of several steps. A lot can still happen. Wait.
Don't get it right. Does this mean that when you are vaccinated you are not allowed to go to another province than those 6 provinces, even if that code is green?
I kept thinking that once you complete your quarantine, you can travel freely throughout Thailand?
Or is this only allowed if you have a visa?
When your quarantine is over, you can travel throughout Thailand.
It certainly won't work, but what I, as a married person or someone who likes to visit his boyfriend or girlfriend, is not told about this, first of all I can ask the Thai embassy about this, after all my wife can come to me come in July for three months, then you would say that I could also go there when the quarantine ends, hopefully this will go well in ???.
Apart from that quarantine, how in Buddha's name is one going to check in which province you are (or have been)?
You forget your phone with App (accidentally), or do you get an ankle bracelet or a government official on your moped or trunk during your stay there in Thailand?
I'm getting the creeps from all this stuff.
When you talk about tourists, I understand people who have saved up all year to make a long trip and then see a lot of the country in a short time. (Let's assume that the most working people have max. and then being locked up for 7 days and then not even being able to visit another province!!!i who will respond to that? and as I now understand at the end of Dec 21 and the beginning of 22 it could be done without any problems! People apparently forget that the high season is over and one should certainly not be in the north because of the heavy air pollution.
Lionel.
Me and wondering if the prices of the quarantine hotels will also be halved?
So only older Dutch people and people with a condition will soon be able to go to Thailand with "only" a week of quarantine. Come on with those jabs Hugo. I also want to go to my beloved Thailand again.
“Tourists should install a contact tracing app.”
As a tourist, I must first be fully vaccinated, but nevertheless an app must be installed on my phone for contact tracing.
How to track my contacts. I fear that this is a first step towards a constant tracking of foreigners, tourists or not, a system that is only used in authoritarian countries.
And, predictably, a question about this to the Thai embassy, a few months ago, remains unanswered.
No quarantine initiative will work.
Being locked up in an overpriced hotel for seven days that you would never book yourself. No.
And then you were already vaccinated, right?
And that app. That doesn't work now, because not every Thai has a smartphone (although it seems) and have the Thai also installed the relevant app on their phone?
I suspect not. And that makes it pointless in advance. You will no longer hear anything from the app in the Netherlands…
A big step forward!
I'm happy with it, it makes traveling to Thailand a bit easier.
The other steps will surely follow.
So good hope that we can enter this country completely freely again from January.
I don't quite understand the many criticisms.
Every country currently has its own rules, right?
Thailand has been strict and clear in this from the start.
Like almost all countries in Southeast Asia.
Fixed routes, in beautiful Phuket, is not a drama, is it?
I don't think that means being cooped up in a hotel.
(As many who are already in Thailand have had to, 16 days!)
And after 7 days you can roam freely!
The Tracking app is a requirement, and yes, many Thais have it on their phones, otherwise you couldn't travel from one province to another a few months ago.
How suspicious of everything.
Why wouldn't you put that app on it, that's what the government wants here.
Otherwise you are not allowed in.
The government in the Netherlands/Belgium also acts in a certain way.
You can agree or not.
But ignoring an advice in our country or in Thailand is countered by other measures.
If you like to come to Thailand, the current conditions also apply.
Which are slowly relaxing more and more!
Top!
Too bad they are now talking about January 2022 for a nationwide reopening. I still had a little bit of hope for October 2021… My favorite period is just after the rainy season, then nature and the countryside are so beautifully green, and my favorite places are not those 6 provinces that are mentioned now…
Waiting until we get our two shots in Belgium and then 2021 will be over too.
Those politicians can promise well, but vaccinating in Europe is a disaster because they don't have the vaccines for us, but they do carry them out.
1) Are you allowed after: the 7-day quarantine until June (6 provinces) or in July on Phuket after those 7 days. Ultimately travel freely throughout Thailand?
2) As some have already indicated, this must first be officially ratified by the government and the Royal Gazette? Question: where can you even find that “royal Gazette” site? That doesn't seem approachable? In other words, when is this really official?
This is the website of the Royal Gazette: http://www.mratchakitcha.soc.go.th/index.php
Unfortunately no word of English…