Tourism groups in major travel hubs in Thailand urges government to add India and Russia to safe list

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Now that the 46 countries that can enter Thailand on November 1 without any quarantine, many in the tourism industry are urging some more countries to be added in the list. Tourism groups in major travel hubs are urging the government to add Russia and India to the list of approved countries, hoping that it will enormously boost the number of travelers entering Thailand this peak season.

Russia didn’t make it to the list of 46 approved countries due to a recent spike in Covid-19 in the country.

India is in a similar situation as many people have been vaccinated using Covaxin which is yet to be recognized by the World Health Organization or the Thai government as an approved vaccine. Hence, those vaccinated with Covaxin will not qualify as fully vaccinated and will have to go through a quarantine of 10 days or 14 if they travel overland into Thailand.

While 46 countries will be able to enter Thailand without more than a one-night delay while waiting for test results, those not from those countries but are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine can go through a Sandbox program – what is now known as the Blue Zone.

The tourism council president said that without the Indian and Russian markets, Pattaya will undergoproblems this peak season. Extra restrictions placed on these two countries along with required quarantine upon returning home for some residents in low-risk countries might put off potential tourists.

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