BANGKOK, 29 March 2021: Phuket took the first step towards reopening the island to international tourists on 1 July, when an economic panel chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the proposal presented by Phuket’s private sector earlier in the week.
The final approval should be announced by the Thai Cabinet on Tuesday, 31 March. Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, confirmed it is looking good for Phuket’s beleaguered travel and hospitality industry, where thousands of staff have been unemployed since last March, and hundreds of hotels and resorts have closed up to their eyes in bank debts.
The plan is simple enough in writing. As of 1 July, all vaccinated international visitors would get to stay in Phuket without having to undergo the mandatory seven-day quarantine that will come into effect on the island on 1 April. But it depends on at least 70% of the island’s registered residents being inoculated in advance to make it work. The government says it has 930,000 doses of the Chinese and the Astrazeneca vaccine ready to deploy to Phuket.
There are some restrictions that limit the influx of visitors. Only international travellers from just so-called low-risk countries in Asia would be initially eligible. Phuket is viewed as the pilot project with its opening to vaccinated visitors three months ahead of other destinations in Thailand. If successful, it likely that other destinations such as Krabi, Phang Nga provinces close to Phuket, Samui island and even Pattaya on the east of Thailand could be next starting with reducing the quarantine from 10 to seven days and then abolishing it entirely if visitors have been vaccinated. They will still need to undergo a PCR swab test on arrival as a precaution.
In the meantime, effective 1 April, the mandatory quarantine in Thailand will be reduced to 10 days and possibly to as little as seven days with two PCR swab tests as the month progresses. The reduction in quarantine days does not apply to 11 countries in Africa.
A nod and push from the private sector
Pressure to relax strict anti-Covid measures based on what the travel trade calls the “Maldives model has been building up for weeks with numerous petitions from private sector association. The latest from all of the major travel trade associations in Thailand was presented to the Minister of Tourism and Sports mid-last week.
The letter and recovery map came from the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Thai Hotels Association (THA), Thai Spa Association, Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Thailand, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Board of Airline Representatives Business Association (BAR), Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT).
Noting that global attention has now shifted to vaccinating national populations, many countries should have inoculated 70% of their citizens by the end of August.
“Therefore, we, representatives from eight major organisations in the Thai tourism and airline sectors, support the vaccination guidelines of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the reopening of the country to visitors,” the letter stated.
Core factors that spell success
1. Permit international travellers who have received Covid-19 vaccinations to enter the country without mandatory quarantine, at least in the leading tourist destinations such as Phuket and Samui, starting from 1 July 2021.
2. Accelerate the vaccination of residents in leading tourist provinces such as Phuket and Samui to at least 70% of the population between 15 April and 30 June 2021. Achieving herd immunity will enhance the safety of welcoming travellers from abroad.
3. Allow the private sector to cooperate with the government in Covid-19 vaccine procurement from other sources in order to acquire adequate vaccine supplies and expedite distribution throughout the country.
4. Prioritise the vaccination of approximately 1 million people in the tourism and service sectors (for example, hotel staffs and airline crews) within June 2021 to ensure safety and enhance the confidence of both workers and visiting tourists.
5. Declare a concrete timeline and conditions for reopening the country to international travellers. Leading tourist destinations shall be reopened first, aiming for 1 July 2021. Target to reopen Thailand at large to vaccinated travellers from traditional feeder markets (i.e. through “Travel Bubble”) in time for upcoming high seasons. A concrete timeline is necessary so that tourism service providers can effectively ramp up their services.
6. Approve the use of IATA Travel Pass, the mobile application that is most convenient for travellers, facilitates verification of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, and enhance safety by screening travellers according to global standards. Adopting the IATA recognised travel pass would be a confidence booster for both inbound travellers and for Thais resuming overseas travel.
