UPDATE: Phuket’s tourism ‘sandbox’ plan will get authorised by CESA

by Andrew J. Wood

In a move largely expected after intense lobbying by the huge travel and tourism industry here in Thailand, the government approved the waiver of quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors arriving on Phuket starting July 1. This is the first major reopening for the popular tourist destination.

An economic panel chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday approved the proposal from Phuket’s private sector and corporate groups to vaccinate at least 70% of islanders for reopening to vaccinated tourists, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.

Thai tourism and aviation company with the support of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Hotel Association (THA), the Association of Thai Travel Agencies (ATTA), the SKAL THAILAND, the PATA TH and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), # OpenThailandSafely Campaign, Board of Airline Representatives Business Association (BAR) and Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) commended the government for its success in containing the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand, but expressed their desire to restart tourism now from overseas for vaccinated travelers.

Phuket has had no new Covid-19 cases for 89 days. Phuket authorities have approved plans to welcome non-quarantine visitors on July 1 to boost the local economy and will receive a million doses of Covid-19 vaccine beforehand. There is an urgent need for foreign tourists to stimulate both the economy and the tourism sector. Previously, a local resident earned an average of 40,000 baht per month. In February that value fell to around 8,000 baht. Without change, this will drop to 1,964 baht in July, which is below the poverty line.

A survey found that foreigners are interested in visiting Phuket without being quarantined. According to a local official, those foreigners visiting without quarantine will be tracked using the Covid-19 mobile tracking app.

The government plans to test the Phuket reopening plan in front of other major tourist hotspots like Koh Samui to get the tourism industry back on its feet, which has been in a year without its millions of tourists who contributed to a fifth of the economy before the pandemic Was affected. Koh Samui, which is following Phuket, is also asking for permission to allow foreign travelers to skip the quarantine requirements. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, the president of the Koh Samui Tourism Association, hopes Samui can get the approval.

The approval for Phuket means it will reopen three months earlier than the rest of the country, which is expected to reopen for those who are not fully vaccinated until October.

Andrew J. Wood was born in Yorkshire, England. He is a professional hotelier, skalleague, and travel writer. Andrew has over 40 years of hospitality and travel experience. He is a hotel graduate from Napier University in Edinburgh. Andrew is a former Director of Skal International (SI), National President of SI Thailand and currently President of SI Bangkok and Vice President of SI Thailand and SI Asia. He is a regular visiting professor at various universities in Thailand, including the Hospitality School of Assumption University and the Japan Hotel School in Tokyo.

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