Hoping to breathe new life into its tourism industry, Thailand on Thursday launched its ambitious “Phuket Sandbox” plan to welcome foreigners without having to be locked in a hotel room for a 14-day quarantine. Thailand is heavily dependent on the tourism sector which accounts for about a fifth of the country’s economy and, according to a Reuters analysis, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) epidemic has put the Asian nation through Southeast a loss of about $ 50 billion.
As of June 30, fully vaccinated international tourists from 63 countries and three territories have been allowed to enter Thailand to travel without quarantine under the “Phuket Sandbox” plan. For Japan, travelers only for business purposes will be allowed. But instead of self-quarantining at a hotel or government-approved facilities, tourists will have to stay within the boundaries of the popular resort island of Phuket for 14 days in order to access the rest of Thailand.
Much of the island’s local population has been vaccinated against Covid-19 as part of the “Phuket Sandbox” plan. While Thailand’s unique program is to provide relatively free travel within the country, it involves a fair amount of direction and paperwork. Foreign travelers will be required to undergo an RT-PCR test at their own expense upon arrival in the country and await the results of the test in the accommodation.
After spending 14 nights in Phuket, travelers will be allowed to continue their travel to other Thai destinations, but will need to follow local restrictions in each province. International tourists can also stay in Phuket for less than 14 days and then travel to another country.
British Airways, Cathay Pacific, El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and THAI have announced direct flights to Phuket. Travelers from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh were not allowed to enter Phuket Sandbox.
Here is the list of countries from which travelers can enter Phuket Sandbox:
Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbados
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Barbados
Belgium
Bhutan
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Chile
China
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Laos
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Mauritius
Monaco
Morocco
Burma
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
turkey
United Arab Emirates
UK
United States
Vietnam
Hong Kong
Macau
Taiwan
About 200 passengers on flights from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Singapore were due to land on the island on Thursday. The first 25 travelers arrived on an Etihad Airways flight before noon and underwent screening procedures as directed.
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