BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) - Less than 100 days before it plans to throw open its borders to international visitors, Thailand is in the grip of a worsening Covid-19 outbreak and a sluggish vaccine roll-out.
It is a position familiar to other travel-reliant countries facing the unenviable task of rescuing crucial tourism industries decimated by 18 months of pandemic while guarding against the risk that an influx of international travellers could inflame the spread of the virus.
That has been the case in the Maldives and Seychelles, tropical-island paradises that have seen record surges in infections since opening their borders despite having vaccinated about 70 per cent of their populations. In contrast, at current rates it will take Thailand almost a year to reach that level.