During a public forum held last week, Thai Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the country intends to allow foreign tourists into the country through a program called “Safe and Seals.”
“I have asked the Prime Minister for approval to set October 1 as the date to enter (incoming) tourists,” he said. “I have also asked to use Phuket as a pilot model … and have received approval from the Center for Administration of Economic Situation.”
If successful, the project will be extended to other destinations.
Initially, tourists will be allowed to fly to Phuket – the largest island in Thailand – and will have to be quarantined for 14 days in a designated resort.
Phiphat cited the popular Patong Beach as an example of an area where this can work. Special one-kilometer zones consisting of three to four resorts could be set up there, allowing tourists to spend quarantine time on the beach – as long as they stay in their designated area.
Travelers will need to be tested for Covid-19 at the beginning and end of their quarantine period. Then they will be free to travel on the island.
But the minister says tourists wishing to travel outside Phuket should remain in quarantine for seven days and will have a third Covid-19 test at the end of that 21-day quarantine period.
Hotel personnel working in these designated zones will not be allowed to leave without first being quarantined and are regularly tested for Covid-19 to prevent the spread of the virus.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, tells CNN Travel that the plan has been approved and the next step involves holding a public hearing to get approval from local residents.
This is expected to take place in early September.
A step in the right direction
International tourists enjoy a Phuket beach in March, just weeks before the island is closed due to Covid-19.
MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP / Getty Images
Like most countries that rely heavily on tourism, the pandemic has hit Thailand’s economy hard.
The country’s tourism sector normally contributes close to 15% of its GDP, according to the World Bank.
For now, domestic travelers are infusing some need of money into the harmful sector. Thailand has not reported a locally transmitted Covid-19 infection in more than three months, giving travelers a sense of security as they enter the road for weekend getaways.
But for destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui, which are not within driving distance of Bangkok, the lack of international tourists is devastating.
Phuket-based Bill Barnett, managing director of Asia-based consulting firm C9 Hotelworks, says the plan to welcome international travelers to Phuket is a step in the right direction.
“Covid-19 is unparalleled compared to other events, but, looking at 9/11 and the resumption of travel, it was in baby steps, not gigantic steps,” Barnett says.
“‘Safe and Sealed’ is not a silver bullet, but it’s a step forward versus adopting the ‘hearts in the headlights’ position, so I would consider it positive.”
Criticism of the dismissal project may be too limiting, he says Phuket has long shown the appeal as a destination for “snowbirds” who want to win the winter season.
“Working on a legacy segment that stays in place for more than a month in the winter is a rational step,” says Barnett, noting that Scandinavians, Russians, Britons and Germans return to guests every year as Phuket guests. .
“One thing for sure is that once the temperature drops in Europe, the snowstorms will take off, and logically Phuket (one of them) should be destinations.”
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