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PHUKET: a private infinity pool, gourmet meals, and two temperature controls a day. Welcome to the five-star quarantine in Thailand, where wealthy tourists can live in luxury while obeying some of the strictest anti-coronavirus measures in the world.
After banning visitors for six months, the tourism-dependent country is reopening to a small number of tourists, with the first group arriving in Phuket, a popular tourist island, in the coming weeks.
READ: Thailand will allow long-stay tourists on Phuket Island from October
But before enjoying the beaches, the 300 tourists from China and Scandinavia will have to complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine, including two coronavirus tests, supervised by a “war room” of doctors and security guards.
“It will be comfortable, but I’m afraid he might be anxious about confinement,” said Jean-Francois, a French retiree living in Sweden who hopes to escape winter in the kingdom.
“I wonder if Thailand is doing too much,” he said.
Phuket’s busy Patong Beach has gone quiet this year. (Photo: AFP / Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)
At The Senses Resort, overlooking Phuket’s Patong Bay, 16 villas have been specially prepared for guests in quarantine.
The villas, measuring up to 220 square meters, were redesigned, eliminating padded surfaces to facilitate disinfection, while CCTV security cameras have been installed at the entrances.
Employees have also received training at a hospital on how to detect infections and have been provided with personal protective equipment to deliver room service meals.
“NOT MUCH BENEFIT”
“We won’t get much benefit from these special guests because of the expense involved,” says hotel owner Suppachoke Laongphet.
But “we had to find other sources of income to support our staff and the local economy.”
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His resort is one of nine properties in Phuket, mostly luxury hotels, with government approval to quarantine guests.
Deluxe quarantine doesn’t come cheap: Confinement at The Senses costs a hefty $ 5,300, or $ 18,700 for a family of four. If the Phuket model is successful, the government will try to replicate it in the rest of the country.
Hotels in Phuket have been empty for months. (Photo: AFP / Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)
Once visitors are out of quarantine, they can stay and travel freely for three to nine months with a special visa created to revive tourism.
Expectations for a record 40 million visitors this year were dashed after the coronavirus halted world travel, sending Thailand’s economy into free fall.
The border closures in April meant an immediate income freeze for millions of Thais working in the sector, with knock-on effects in the restaurant and service industries.
Before the pandemic, tourism generated 93 percent of Phuket’s income. Today, nearly all hotels and more than 70 percent of the island’s businesses are closed, authorities say.
But Thailand has emerged relatively unscathed from the virus with just 59 deaths, and authorities hope that travelers may be lured back despite having to comply with strict and costly quarantine measures.
CALL POLICE
The number of visitors under the new visa scheme will probably be limited, “only those with the means and who wish to stay several months in our country,” says Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, president of the southern chapter of the Thailand Hotel Association.
But a resurgence in tourism, however small, is badly needed, he says.
Nine resorts in Phuket have been approved to receive quarantined guests. (Photo: AFP / Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)
“This is not what will sustainably improve the country’s economy, but it allows us to be patient.”
At The Senses resort, visitors will wake up to a view of the island’s lush sloping mountains and can swim in each villa’s infinity pool.
But trying to leave the room could land police at the guest’s door in 15 minutes, said Thanchanok Pramkull, the hotel’s deputy business manager, while an infected guest can be rushed to hospital in half an hour.
Completing the quarantine does not guarantee unlimited freedom: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has said that the whereabouts of visitors will continue to be tracked via mobile phone apps.
But the strict rules haven’t deterred interest. Around 20 people from India and Europe have already contacted the hotel since it was approved for the program.
“It is indeed a golden cage,” says a 50-year-old Danish visitor who plans a stay at The Senses but did not want to be identified.
“But it’s worth it. After the quarantine we will be able to enjoy beautiful sunsets in one of the safest places in the world for COVID.”
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