Thailand’s planned reopening of the resort island Phuket next month to vaccinated visitors, bypassing quarantine requirements, has met a lukewarm response, with hotel bookings indicating expected occupancy of less than 20% so far. The "Phuket Sandbox" initiative from July 1 will allow free movement on the island for tourists fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with no self-isolation on arrival. They will be given a green light to travel elsewhere in Thailand after 14 days. The Viewpoint of 3 beaches; kata noi beach, kata beach and karon beach of Phuket But there are a few tricky conditions, too, and many industry professionals have complained that uncertainty and constant rule changes are deterring bookings. The plan won't be finalised until later this month. "This will be a sl...
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travel articles and news about Thailand
Thailand will go ahead with a plan next month to reopen to vaccinated foreign visitors starting with its most popular resort island Phuket, as it tries to revive tourism while battling its biggest coronavirus outbreak so far. The plan was approved by the government’s economic task force on Friday and comes just days ahead of the start of a mass-vaccination drive, the success of which will determine when Thailand can fully restart an industry that attracted 40 million tourists annually before the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Empty chairs are seen on a beach which is usually full of tourists, amid fear of coronavirus in Phuket, Thailand March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun Phuket is a pilot scheme for the reopening and is aiming to vaccinate 70% of its local population by July 1, far ahea...
Read MoreLPGA returned to Asia after 17 months at Honda Thailand 2021 Golf Championship Avani Pattaya Resort was recently named the official lodging partner for the playing group consisting of players, caddies and LPGA officials by IMG the organisers of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2021 Golf Championship. The prestigious US$1.6 million (50 million baht) tournament was held at Siam Country Club in Pattaya from May 6-9, with all 70 top female professional golfers staying at Avani Pattaya Resort during the event. As the LPGA returned to Asia for the first time in 17 months, players successfully competed under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Sports Authority of Thailand's pilot 'Golf Bubble' programme. The tournament was carried out under strict protocols that required all players, cad...
Read MoreCanada has extended its ban on passenger flights from India and Pakistan by 30 days to June 21 as part of a campaign to fight COVID-19, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Friday. Alghabra said Canada had seen "a significant reduction" in coronavirus infections among arriving airline passengers since Ottawa first announced the bans on April 22 as the number of cases in India soared. The move does not affect cargo flights. FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers prepare to test passengers before they arrive at Toronto's Pearson airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada February 15, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio "These ongoing measures will remain in place to help protect Canadians and to manage the elevated risk of imported cases of COVID-19 and variants of concern," he told a briefing. ...
Read MoreA year after one of Southeast Asia's most popular fun-and-sun destinations became an eerily quiet shell of empty resorts, shops and nightclubs, residents of the Thai island of Phuket are hoping to save their economy with an inoculation programme. For now, beach umbrellas rest rolled up on vacant hotel verandas, overlooking empty stretches of sand, while mannequins languish in dust-covered windows of shuttered shops. The entrance of a closed hotel is seen at Kata beach in Karon, Phuket Island, Thailand March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva "We are taking the opportunity to put our system to a test", said vice governor of Phuket province, Piyapong Choowong, adding that more than 70% of Phuket's population of about 650,000 would be vaccinated by July 1, when foreign vaccinated visitor...
Read MoreDespite the threat looming on the tourism industry because of third wave of COVID infections, Thailand is still keen on going ahead with its Phuket pilot project of reviving the tourism, although with proper safety measures. Following the news that Thailand reported 967 new COVID-19 cases on 11 April 2021; Animesh Kumar, Director of Travel and Tourism Consulting at GlobalData, a leading research and consulting company, said, “The news casts a shadow over Thailand’s plans to reopen tourism and allow quarantine-free visit to the vaccinated international tourists from July 2021 under a pilot in Phuket. It is crucial for the authorities as well as citizens to ensure that the spread of the highly contagious variant is controlled as it threatens not only the health and safety but also the ec...
Read MoreTourism first! Island of Phuket in mass vaccination drive ahead of the rest of Thailand
In Thailand, it’s the all-important tourism sector that has jumped to the head of the COVID-19 vaccination line, with the country’s most popular resort island embarking on a mass inoculation programme two months ahead of the rest of the country. The island of Phuket aims to deliver shots to at least 460,000 people - most of its population - as it gears up for July 1, when vaccinated overseas visitors will no longer be required to quarantine. People receive the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine as the Thai resort island of Phuket rushes to vaccinate its population amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, and ahead of a July 1 ending of strict quarantine for overseas visitors, to bring back tourism revenue in Phuket, Thailand, April 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Phuket also has its ...
Read MoreThai authorities on Friday agreed to allow foreigners inoculated against the coronavirus to travel to its biggest holiday island without undergoing quarantine, and announced a new order for five million more doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. With arrival numbers plummeting this past year, tourism-reliant Thailand is racing to secure vaccines for its population and reopen the country to foreigners in a pilot project for vaccine passports. FILE PHOTO: A person is seen in water near a beach which is usually full of tourists, amid fear of coronavirus in Phuket, Thailand March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun “If we can inoculate 50% to 60% of the population we can open the country safely and move the economy and tourism forward,” senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said. Its ...
Read MoreThailand held a fruit banquet for dozens of elephants in the ancient capital Ayutthaya on Saturday, continuing an annual event which has been a big draw for foreign tourists in the hope they will return soon and revive the key tourism industry. The feast marks the country’s Elephant Day, celebrating elephants as a source of national pride and cultural identity for Thailand throughout its history, used for labour, transport and in battlefield triumphs by warriors and kings. A child feeds an elephant during Thailand's National Elephant Day celebration in the ancient city of Ayutthaya, Thailand, March 13, 2021. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa “We, the elephant people, are hoping that the government will open up the country (soon) to welcome foreign tourists in order for them to bring in ...
Read MoreThailand will from next month reduce its mandatory quarantine from 14 to seven days for foreigners arriving in the country who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, its Health Minister said on Monday. Vaccinations must be administered within three months of the travel period and visitors will still be required to show negative COVID-19 test results within three days of their departure, Anutin Charnvirankul told a news conference. FILE PHOTO: A staff member sits under the arrivals flight information board at Suvarnabhumi Airport during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Bangkok, Thailand. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun Those not yet inoculated but with coronavirus-free certificates would be quarantined for 10 days, he said. “Foreigners travelling to Thailand with vacc...
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