THAILAND may not welcome tourists without quarantine restrictions until 2022. The country has laid out a four-stage plan which would reduce the travel restrictions over the next 12 months. Stage one would be from April and May, which would allow five provinces -Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Tao and Phangan islands) Chonburi (Pattaya) and […]
THAILAND may not welcome tourists without quarantine restrictions until 2022.
The country has laid out a four-stage plan which would reduce the travel restrictions over the next 12 months.
Stage one would be from April and May, which would allow five provinces -Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Tao and Phangan islands) Chonburi (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai – to welcome some tourists to quarantine at a hotel.
Tourists from the UAE, Israel, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and possibly India and Russia would have to quarantine in their room for three days, before being allowed to walk around the hotel until day 14.
From June to September, stage two would include the same tourists and provinces but would cut the quarantine from 14 days to 10 days, with two Covid tests, and travelling able to extend to other certified hotels in the area.
Stage three, running from October to December, would reduce the 10-day quarantine to one day while awaiting a negative Covid test.
This is when Brits may be able to return, as any visitors from countries which have had more than 70 per cent of the population would be vaccinated.
The UK, which is approaching 40 per cent of the population being given the first jab, wants the entire country vaccinated by August.
It is only at stage 4, from January 2022, where the rest of Thailand will open to tourists with a negative Covid test and a vaccine passport.
This means that a holiday to Thailand is likely to remain off the cards for Brits until next year unless they are willing to quarantine on arrival.
The UK has not yet given a date for when holidays can resume although the earliest restart date is from May 17.
Thailand is one of the most popular long-haul destinations for UK travellers due to cheap flights and package deals.
While the country wants to vaccinate 30m people by the end of the year, only 44,400 people have been so far, compared to the UK’s 25m.
Tourist groups in Thailand have launched the #OpenThailandSafely campaign, which wants to allow travellers with proof of a COVID-19 vaccine into the country without quarantine requirements by July 1.
The petition, being sent to the Thai government, said: “As Thailand is starting to vaccinate its most vulnerable and its healthcare workers, we believe that now is the time to announce a firm and irreversible date to reopen its borders.
“This will give confidence to international travellers and encourage them to book a trip to Thailand.”
“Thai tourism operators, especially those reliant on international travel, would then be able to start business planning, accept forward bookings, start to rehire staff, and conduct training programs.
“Without a firm commitment to reopening made now, Thailand may lose all of 2021 as travellers will make plans for alternative destinations.”
Thailand closed their borders to foreign tourists in March last year, and only began opening them again in October.
However, tourist numbers – which were once as high as 40million in 2019 – dropped to just 6.7million last year, the lowest since 2008.
Vaccine passports are currently being trialled by the UK which could allow restriction-free travel.
Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal all back vaccine passports to allow Brits to enter restriction-free.
Turkey has said that travellers won’t need one to enter the country this summer.
