A THAI Airways plane lands on Phuket (wiratho / Shutterstock.com)
Tourists from 28 countries have expressed interest in visiting Phuket after the government agreed to waive mandatory quarantine for vaccinated foreign visitors, tour operators in the province said. Among the 28 countries were tourists from China, Singapore, Russia, the UK and Germany, who are known as frequent travelers to Phuket.
In July, Phuket will be the first province to waive the quarantine requirement for foreign visitors who have been vaccinated, as part of the government's plan to reopen the country.
Phumkit Raktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said while foreign tourists have expressed interest, it remains to be seen whether their own government will allow them to fly to Thailand. Mr Phumkit also says the reduction of the mandatory quarantine from 14 days to seven days, which came into effect on April 1, is unlikely to revive Thailand's tourism industry.
“Those who are likely to come are business people or people who have relatives in Thailand. We have a study that shows that foreign tourists are deterred by the mandatory quarantine even though it is now shorter," says Phumkit. It is also important whether the authorities in their own country grant permission for their visit plans.
On Saturday, THAI Airways' first flight from Frankfurt, Germany (flight TG921) landed at Phuket Airport, the first since lockdown began after the pandemic broke out early last year. The plane was carrying 130 German tourists and first landed at Phuket International Airport, where 16 German travelers disembarked. The remaining tourists then flew to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and are quarantined there. The next flight is scheduled for May 7.
Source: Bangkok Post
The question is whether Dutch (vaccinated) tourists from July can also go to Phuket without quarantine? I had asked the Thai embassy twice about opening Phuket and only received this answer twice via a hyperlink:
https://hague.thaiembassy.org/th/content/118896-measures-to-control-the-spread-of-covid-19?page=5f4d1bea74187b0491379162&menu=5f4cc50a4f523722e8027442
This shows nothing yet…..does anyone know 100% whether we can also go here quarantine free?
I'm afraid no one, including the Thai authorities, can give you 100% certainty about that, Diana. The situation around Covid continues to change; how it will be around July 1 is simply impossible to say with certainty.
My doubts are confirmed in this extensive article in today's Bangkok Post. The effective date depends on a thread formed by the requirement that 70% of Phuket's population must be vaccinated. As long as that is not the case – and the feasibility as of 1 July next is very doubtful – the plan will not come into effect. 'Hoping for a miracle' is, in my opinion, the very appropriate headline above the article!
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2095019/hoping-for-a-miracle
The Thai embassy usually does not respond to personal questions, especially if it concerns speculation about the future, and usually responds with a reference to the rules and procedures in force at that time.
Even though they say there in Thailand that they want to reduce quarantine periods from 14 to 10 to 7 or even shorter for me, it doesn't mean it's safe. Even though they say there in Thailand that they will bring 900 thousand vaccines to Phuket, it does not mean that it will come true. Even though they say in Thailand that they have dozens of ideas to make Thailand attractive, it does not mean that tourists will consider choosing Thailand as a destination. Only when they finally have a reasonable and realistic policy there in Thailand and really show that they can make policy and indeed implement it, only then will tourists decide to focus their attention on Thai beaches. In short: will not be before 10!
It might be wise to look at it first in the coming months. Both the situation here and there. At the moment the advice is to travel if necessary. So if you are going to travel, your travel insurance will no longer cover everything. Think for example if you get sick and have to have a repatriation flight.
Furthermore, I would also keep an eye on the situation there if there are corona outbreaks, then they will lock everything down. Getting away on the other side of the world is a lot more difficult than if you are in Europe.
Last March I was happy to be on the plane back to the Netherlands. Because with all that uncertainty you don't really have a holiday feeling.