Thailand plans to reopen Bangkok to fully vaccinated visitors next month, officials said on September 10, as the kingdom seeks to salvage a tourism industry hammered by the pandemic.

Tourism made up a fifth of Thailand’s national income in 2019 but severe travel curbs imposed to fight Covid-19 saw the usual flood of foreign visitors dwindle to almost nothing, contributing to the economy’s worst performance in over 20 years.

The kingdom is pressing ahead with plans to reopen despite a deadly third wave of infections, driven by the Delta variant.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said that from October 1, fully vaccinated foreign travellers will be able to visit Bangkok and four other provinces without undergoing two weeks’ hotel quarantine.

Instead, the five areas – also including Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces – are expected to follow a “sandbox” model of the type piloted since July in the holiday island of Phuket.

Under the Sandbox scheme, tourists have to stay within a certain area for seven days after arrival and take Covid-19 tests.

Later in October, 21 more destinations will be added to the list including Chiang Rai, Sukhothai and popular seaside getaway Rayong.

But Thailand’s third and deadliest Covid-19 wave has not yet fully subsided, and the tourism agency warned the plans could change.

Thailand got through 2020 relatively unscathed by Covid-19, recording low numbers of infections, but since April, the Delta variant has taken hold and cases have soared to more than 1.3 million, with almost 14,000 deaths.

More than 29,000 fully vaccinated international visitors hit the beach at Phuket under its Sandbox scheme, generating nearly $50 million in revenue, according to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.

Three more Thai islands also reopened – Samui, Tao and Phangan – with slightly more onerous restrictions.

One cloud hanging over Thailand’s tourism revival plans is the travel advice of other countries discouraging would-be tourists from visiting.

Britain and the US have warned against travel to Thailand because of rising case numbers and low vaccination rates.

About 16 per cent of the Thai population have received two coronavirus vaccine doses, the government’s Covid-19 task force said.

Similarly, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has agreed in principle with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal on a pilot plan to welcome international tourists with vaccine passports to the resort island of Phu Quoc – also known by its Khmer name Koh Tral – in the southern province of Kien Giang for six months from October.

According to a draft pilot scheme, the plan targets foreign tourists who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus or those with certificates of recovery from Covid-19 recognised by an authorised agency in Vietnam.

Eligible tourists should be given their second shots at least 14 days and no more than 12 months before entry. For those who have recovered from Covid-19, the time from hospital discharge to their entry date must not exceed 12 months. Travellers will be requested to take a RT-PCR test within 72 hours prior to their departure, and certified negative for Covid-19 in English by authorities of the country that conduct the test.

The scheme will be applied for visitors who have registered to join package tours of travel agencies.

AFP, VIET NAM NEWS/Asia News Network