Thailand is expected to suspend its mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated tourists visiting the island of Phuket, starting this summer.
The country will also shorten the quarantine period from 14 to 10 days for people entering the country from abroad.
On Friday, a panel chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha approved a proposal that will allow travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to visit Phuket without quarantine from 1 July.
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The plan calls for the vaccination of 70% of Phuket residents before the island is reopened to tourists in July. These vaccinations are expected to begin in April.
Thailand is planning to allow fully vaccinated tourists to visit Phuket without quarantine starting July 1. If the reopening is successful, the country could expand the reopening to other tourist spots. (iStock)
The governor of Phuket and the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration have yet to approve the proposal.
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Yuthasak Supasor, head of Thailand’s Tourism Authority, said the country could expand the reopening to other tourist spots – such as Samui Island, Krabi, Pattaya and Chiang Mai – in October, if the reopening of Phuket is successful.
The country expects to receive around 100,000 tourists in the third quarter of this year.
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Earlier this month, tourist groups in Thailand launched a campaign asking the government to allow fully vaccinated tourists to enter the country without being quarantined as of July 1.
According to a letter published with the campaign, tourism in Thailand and related industries have been “wiped out” by the closure of international travel to the country because of the pandemic.
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“The financial, social, physical and psychological health of the Thai people has been adversely affected,” said the letter. “The disruption of travel has not only affected tourism, but has also separated families and greatly reduced international trade.”
“The current situation is unsustainable,” added the letter.
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Before the pandemic, Phuket was the country’s second most popular destination, after Bangkok. In 2019, it received 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 has been severely hit by the pandemic, but Prayuth said on Friday that, thanks to his government’s financial stimulus package and vaccination plans, he is optimistic that the country could achieve 4% GDP growth this year. year, compared to a 6.1% contraction in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.