BANGKOK, 17 August 2021: Tourism Authority of Thailand is pressing for the minimum stay requirement of 14 nights for Phuket Sandbox travellers to be reduced to seven nights to boost bookings during the fourth quarter of the year.
The Phuket Sandbox allows vaccinated travellers from overseas to stay on the island without quarantine for 14 nights. They need to take three PCR swab tests during the stay, and on the 15th day, they can then travel to other destinations around Thailand.
Most of them head for Bangkok, Samui Island, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. However, Covid-19 restrictions in the country have virtually cut all bus and train transports between provinces. At the same time, only a few air services remain from Phuket to U-Tapao near Pattaya on Thailand’s east coast.
TAT presented its latest recommendations to boost bookings following suggestions that bookings for the Phuket Sandbox holiday experience could lose momentum due to strict conditions and adverse publicity, particularly YouTube video reports and observations.
My Phuket Sandbox Experience | Thailand – YouTube
Meanwhile, popular travel blogger, Richard Barrow, posted a graphic detailing the Phuket Sandbox performance for the period 1 July to 14 August with text that showed the project had attracted 20,727 international travellers who stayed an average of 11.14 days. The average advanced booking was for 16 days.
For the month and a half that the project has been up and running, the top nationality was the USA with 2,759, followed the UK in second place with 2,712. Other nations listed in the top 10 source markets included Israel 2,250, Germany 1,617, France 1,606, UAE 775, Switzerland 467, Netherlands 446, Australia 361 and Kuwait 327.
In the latest figures, Thai travellers are not included. However, from 1 to 31 July, Thais were the second largest group after the USA at 1,853. The subsequent graphics on nationalities joining the Phuket Sandbox omitted references to Thai travellers.
Up until 15 August, the total arrivals reached 21,336, while the room nights booked reached 382,078.
