Thailand set to allow quarantine-free travel from 46 countries next month

Friday, October 22, 2021

Thailand has decided to welcome vaccinated visitors from 46 countries without the need for Covid-19 quarantine from next month, up from 10 countries previously announced as part of the reopening. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian country has also decided to introduce the new quarantine-free travel arrangements on November 1 as it seeks to revive its vital tourism industry. According to the ministry of foreign affairs, the 46 countries include Britain, the United States, China, Singapore, Germany and Australia.

PM Prayut said the visitors could skip mandatory quarantine as long as they arrive via air, have been fully vaccinated and have a document to show they are virus-free. Thailand will reopen the capital Bangkok and other key tourist destinations, including Hua Hin and Pattaya, where curfews will be lifted at the end of the month, according to several reports.

Strict entry requirements and quarantine measures helped keep Thailand’s coronavirus outbreaks under control until recent months. However, the restrictions saw arrival numbers plummet to a fraction of the nearly 40 million visitors seen in 2019. Thailand reportedly lost about US$50 billion (S$67 billion) in tourism revenue last year.

The reopening of Thailand began with a pilot reopening on July 1 on its most popular tourist island, Phuket, which has been vaccinating most of its local population. As per the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the country is expecting just 100,000 foreign visitors this year.

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