/ Posted on 11 May, 2021 18:23
Tourism operators in Thailand have hailed the country’s plan to waive quarantine for vaccinated travellers from October as a positive step towards positioning the country for a robust post-pandemic recovery.
However, that plan hinges on the success of the Phuket Sandbox programme, which is expected to start in July. Under that plan, vaccinated tourists will be allowed to visit Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi and Pattaya without mandatory quarantine.
Thailand may soon lift quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors to Bangkok; an empty Erawan Shrine amid Bangkok’s third Covid-19 wave pictured
If successful, four other cities – Bangkok, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Buriram – will join Phuket in exempting vaccinated tourists from quarantine from October.
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Tour operators flail amid industry disruption
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Tourism veteran urges government support and stimulus during prolonged downturn
published : 27 Feb 2021 at 05:33 Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Domestic Travel.
The global pandemic marks the most severe crisis in 60 years for Thai tourism as the number of international arrivals bottomed out at 6.7 million last year, compared with nearly 40 million in 2019.
With tight border controls, the outbound market also experienced a nosedive, from 11 million trips in 2019 to only 1 million last year.
Tour operators, a major driver in the local economy, inevitably struggled to maintain business after the virus spread last year, with vaccination unlikely to save tourism until late this year at the earliest.