Phuket Reopening for Vaccinated Tourists from July; Other Spots in Thailand to Open from Oct

Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ve missed travelling so much you’d give up an arm and leg for the chance to travel, I’ve got great news for you.

Phuket, one of the most desirable lepak destination for Singaporeans is opening itself up to travellers soon.

There is a caveat, though.

You must be vaccinated.

Phuket Reopening for Vaccinated Tourists from July; Other Spots in Thailand to Open from Oct

On 26 Mar 2021, it was reported that Thailand will waive quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors to Phuket from 1 July 2021.

This reopening plan in Phuket is a test for the nation.

If successful, it will be rolled out to other key tourist hot spots in Thailand, such as Koh Samui.

Phuket is expected to reopen three months earlier than the rest of the country, which is scheduled for Oct 2021.

Vaccination For At Least 70% Of Phuket’s Residents

A proposal to approve the vaccination of at least 70% of Phuket’s residents to prepare for the upcoming reopening was also approved on 26 Mar 2021.

In the vaccine roll-out, more than 930,000 doses are expected to be administered before the reopening.

Thailand has been suffering from COVID-19, with its tourism industry heavily battered.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry contributed to one-fifth of the economy.

This early reopening could add more than 30 billion baht (S$1.3 billion) to the economy but it also depends a lot on the international passport agreement, as well as negotiations with other countries for free travel.

Mr Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, expects at least 100,000 visitors to Phuket in the third quarter of 2021.

“There are people who are fully vaccinated and ready to travel. But they would only choose destinations that have vaccinated its residents and don’t require quarantine.”

Thailand’s Current COVID-19 Situation

Although the country had to deal with a spike in COVID-19 infections earlier this year, it managed to contain the pandemic.

As of the time of writing, Thailand has 28,577 COVID-19 cases with 92 deaths due to the disease.

From 1 Apr 2021, the quarantine period for visitors will be shortened from two weeks to 10 days.

There are plans for it to be further reduced to a week for those with proof of vaccination travelling to the six destinations, including Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai.

At least that’s better than the previous arrangement, which requires one to have very deep pockets to travel, eh?

On a separate note, did you know that Singapore’s in the midst of running a COVID-19 Vaccination Travel Pass? You can find out more here.

Feature Image: wiratho / Shutterstock.com