Thailand plans to allow vaccinated foreigners to visit the
southern resort island of Phuket without quarantining on arrival in a step
toward reviving the country’s big but battered tourism industry.
Starting in April, the country also is shortening the quarantine
period for arrivals from abroad to 10 days from 14.
Thailand’s tourism industry dried up when scheduled
passenger flights into the country were barred in April last year to curb the
spread of the coronavirus. There has been a limited resumption of flights since
then.
The plan for Phuket is set to begin on July 1 and, if judged
successful, may include other popular destinations such as Samui Island, Krabi,
Pattaya, and Chiang Mai in October, said Yuthasak Supasor, head of the Tourism
Authority of Thailand.
The government’s Center for Economic Situation
Administration, chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, approved the
Phuket plan on Friday. It still needs final approval from Phuket’s governor and
the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. Thailand last year repeatedly
canceled various reopening plans as the pandemic expanded abroad.
Part of the plan to institute what is being called a
“tourism sandbox” involves inoculating at least 450,000, or 70 percent, of
Phuket’s residents before the July reopening. The inoculations are expected to
begin in April.
If all goes smoothly, it is hoped that around 100,000
tourists can be welcomed in the third quarter of the year.
Before the pandemic, Phuket was the country’s second-most
popular destination after Bangkok. In 2019, it welcomed around 10 million
foreign tourists and generated 470 billion baht (US$15 billion) in revenue.
According to the Phuket Hotel Association, more than 50,000
employees in its hospitality sector lost their jobs last year.
Thailand’s economy was severely hit by the COVID-19
pandemic, but Prayuth said Friday that thanks to his government’s financial
stimulus package and vaccination plans, he is optimistic that the country can
achieve 4 percent GDP growth this year, compared to a 6.1 percent contraction
in 2020.
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