Vaccinated golfing tourists could soon be returning to Thailand
The Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), chaired by Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, has approved the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) three-stage roadmap to reopen six major tourist provinces to vaccinated foreign tourists.
This development follows the Royal Thai Government’s announcement that Thailand has reduced quarantine for international arrivals from April 1, which includes the reduction of quarantine from 14 days to seven days for vaccinated international arrivals involving the 11 groups of people currently permitted to enter Thailand.
Roadmap
The TAT’s reopening roadmap will take place in stages in the second, third and fourth quarters of this year, specifically for vaccinated foreign tourists arriving in Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – Thailand’s major tourist destinations.
In Stage One, from April to June, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to undergo quarantine in Government-approved hotels or other facilities under a ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model. After completing the first seven nights, they will be allowed to visit other destinations in Thailand.
The ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model means that during quarantine, vaccinated foreign tourists will be allowed to engage in leisure activities within the premises of their hotels or other accommodation establishments. They will also be allowed to engage in outside travel activities within designated areas in their selected destination of arrival.
Stage two
In Stage Two, from July to September, Phuket will be the first destination to lift quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists under the ‘Phuket Sandbox’ programme.
However, they will be restricted to travel activities within designated areas in Phuket for seven days and will then be allowed to visit other Thai destinations.
Vaccinated foreign tourist arrivals to five other major tourist destinations – Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – will still be required to undergo quarantine under a ‘0+7 nights + designated routes’ model.
Stage Three
Under Stage Three, from October to December, all five other major tourist destinations will join Phuket in lifting quarantine requirements for vaccinated foreign tourists.
As in Phuket, tourists will be restricted to travel activities within designated areas in these destinations for seven days before they are allowed to visit other Thai destinations.
Upon arrival in all stages, vaccinated foreign tourists will be required to undergo a Covid-19 screening, including RT-PCR tests, and download the specified alert application.
In order to be eligible to enter Thailand, vaccinated foreign tourists still need to have all of their advance arrangements in good order for arrival and entry.
These include a valid visa or re-entry permit, a Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate; a Covid-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000; confirmation of Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel booking, and a medical certificate with a RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that Covid-19 is not detected, issued no more than 72 hours before departure.
Interested vaccinated foreign tourists are recommended to enquire at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in their home country for more details.
In addition, in line with the Royal Thai Government’s announcement, vaccinated international arrivals must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with a vaccine approved and registered with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), no less than 14 days before the travelling date.
They must also be from countries with no mutated strain of SAR-CoV-2 virus as announced and constantly updated by the MoPH.
