BANGKOK — Key government officials said the lifting of quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers from “low-risk countries” will definitely go ahead on Nov. 1, as announced by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier this week.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan told the media he believes visitors will be arriving in droves as soon as the new measure becomes effective on Nov. 1. He also urged businesses and the authorities to prepare for the large number of travelers who will be visiting Thailand.
Pipat said that Thailand has always been a popular winter destination with tourists from colder Western and Northern countries, who like to escape to the sunny beaches of Thailand and enjoy a warm winter.
Thailand’s “cool season,” which is considered to be the high season of tourism, typically lasts from November to January.
With parts of the world slowly reopening and international travel and tourism making a gradual return, Pipat said he’s confident that tourists are ready to come back to Thailand.
To streamline the entry process, Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn suggested dropping the complex and frustrating certificate of entry requirement, or COE, as well as reducing the costs of the required RT-PCR. He said the cost of the coronavirus tests should be kept under 1,000 baht each to help attract international travellers.
According to the announcement by PM Prayut, vaccinated travelers from 10 countries will be able to enter Thailand without having to be quarantined, given that they have a negative RT-PCR test before and upon their arrival.
Public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul also went as far as suggesting that Thailand should reopen to more than just 10 countries.
Anutin told reporters that vaccinated visitors from other countries should also be admitted, provided they test negative for the virus and remain 1 night in the province in which they arrived.
