Tourists wanting to visit Phuket, Thailand, who have been vaccinated will be able to do so without having to go through any quarantine starting on July 1, 2021.
- The Travel and Tourism industry in Thailand has lobbied the government who just approved the waiving of quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors arriving in Phuket.
- Phuket has been without any new COVID-19 cases for 89 days.
- Without some positive change in the economy, resident earnings will fall below the poverty line.
In a move largely expected after intense lobbying from the huge Travel and Tourism industry in Thailand, the government approved the waiving of quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors arriving in Phuket from July 1, the first significant reopening for the popular tourism destination.
An economic panel chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday approved the proposal by Phuket’s private sector and business groups to inoculate at least 70% of the island’s residents to reopen for vaccinated tourists, said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
Thai tourism and airline businesses, with the support of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Thai Chamber of Commerce, Thai Hotels Association (THA), Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), SKAL THAILAND, PATA TH, International Air Transport Association (IATA), #OpenThailandSafely campaign, Board of Airline Representatives Business Association (BAR), and Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT), all commended the government on its success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, however, expressed their wish to now restart tourism from overseas for vaccinated travelers.
Phuket has been without any new COVID-19 cases for 89 days. Phuket authorities have approved plans to welcome visitors without quarantine on July 1 to stimulate the local economy and will have one million COVID-19 vaccine doses before that. There is an urgent need for foreign tourists in Phuket to stimulate both the economy and tourism sector. Before, a local resident earned about 40,000 baht per month on average. In February this fell to about 8,000 baht. Without some change, this will fall to 1,964 baht in July, which is below the poverty line.
A survey revealed that foreigners are interested in visiting Phuket but without undergoing quarantines. Local official says those foreigners who visit without undergoing quarantine, will be tracked using the COVID-19 tracing mobile app.
The government plans to test the reopening plan in Phuket before other key tourist hot spots, such as Koh Samui, to help restart the tourism industry battered by a year without its millions of tourists who contributed to one-fifth of the economy before the pandemic. Koh Samui, following Phuket, is also asking for approval to allow foreign travelers to skip quarantine requirements. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, the president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, says he is hopeful for Samui to receive approval.
The approval for Phuket means it will reopen three months earlier than the rest of the country, which is expected to reopen for those who are fully vaccinated only in October.
Phuket residents will also be prioritized in the vaccine roll-out, with more than 930,000 doses expected to be administered before the reopening, Mr. Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the island’s tourist association, said.
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