Thailand ends almost all travel restrictions

• Thailand’s colour-coded system of restrictions is no longer in use.
• A Covid-19 immunisation certificate/professionally performed antigen test are required to enter.
• Phuket, Koh Samui and northern Thailand saw the biggest increases in tourism arrivals this year.

Travelers curious in what it’s like to visit Thailand right now might find it interesting to hear that the nation is once again “allowing practically everything.”

This is stated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the government organisation in charge of promoting travel to the nation.

The country’s color-coded system, which imposed restrictions that differed by province on dining activities, gatherings, and travel, is now no longer in use, according to TAT. Masks are also no longer necessary.

Additionally, entering Thailand is now very simpler.

A Covid-19 immunisation certificate or a negative PCR or professionally performed antigen test are the only Covid-related documents that tourists must present as of July 1 in order to enter, according to TAT.

Print and digital media are both allowed, according to the tourism authority.

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TAT states that unvaccinated visitors who arrive in Thailand without a clear test result obtained within 72 hours of departure will have to pay for and take a Covid-19 test there. According to a TAT representative, travellers who test positive must also pay for their medical costs.

Foreign visitors are still required to enter with their passports and any necessary visas.

No longer required for entry is a “Thailand Pass” application. It was implemented in May and demanded that travellers provide proof of immunisation, health insurance, and other documentation before departing.

The country’s numerous travel initiatives, like the “Phuket Sandbox” and the more recent “Test & Go” programme, which were introduced during the pandemic to jump-start tourism, an industry that typically contributes about 12% of Thailand’s gross domestic product, have been superseded by the new, simpler rules.

The underwhelming response to both initiatives demonstrated that visitors had little interest in following a set of rules in order to enjoy a trip to Thailand.

Tourists responded quickly to Thailand’s relaxed travel regulations.

According to a report by the Thai Public Broadcasting Service, visitor arrivals at Phuket International Airport increased by 20% the day after the “Thailand Pass” was discontinued, with an estimated 9,000 tourists arriving on Friday.

According to the article, more people entered Thailand on that same day at several checkpoints around the borders with Malaysia and Laos.

Beginning on July 1, more people were searching online to make hotel reservations, according to Michael Marshall, chief commercial officer of Minor Hotels, a Thai-based hotel chain.

Despite the fact that all limitations have only recently been released, we’ve already seen close to 10,000 new searches for Thailand destinations from a variety of markets since July 1st, which is quite promising.

Thailand’s tourism business was expanding even before the rule modifications.

From January to May of this year, foreign visitors nearly doubled, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports. According to statistics from the ministry, more than 1.3 million immigrants entered during this time, compared to less than 35,000 during the same period in 2021.

“We anticipate the momentum to last… The final limitations on overseas passengers have been lifted by the Thai government, according to Marshall.

According to him, Phuket, Koh Samui, and regions in northern Thailand saw the biggest increases in tourism arrivals this year.

Thailand’s tourism rebound may be moving in the right path, but there will likely be a long road ahead as inflation, rising travel expenses, and rising Covid rates worry foreign tourists. This year, the decline in visitors from China, its biggest source market, won’t help either.

Given these challenges, Thai authorities expect between five and 15 million foreign visitors this year, up significantly from the 428,000 who visited last year but much below the almost 40 million who visited in 2019, according to Reuters.

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