Thailand to reopen for fully-vaccinated travellers from November 1; Details inside

After months of coronavirus travel restrictions, Thailand's once-thriving tourism industry is a shell of its former self. However, the monarchy will reopen its borders to vaccinated visitors from more than 40 nations on Monday. Before the outbreak, Thailand received a record high of around 40 million visitors in 2019, with tourists flocking to its island beaches and cultural sites. Travellers dropped to roughly seven million in 2020 as virus restrictions slowed worldwide travel, and just about 73,000 overseas tourists have flown into Thailand so far in 2021.

Beginning November 1, fully vaccinated visitors from 46 countries and territories deemed "low risk" by Thailand will be permitted to arrive without being quarantined. China and its colony Hong Kong and the United States, Britain, and France are among the heavyweights on the list, accounting for the lion's share of the kingdom's pre-pandemic tourist total. Other European nations on the list include Germany, Spain, Italy, and certain Asian neighbours Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Japan.

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Before travelling into Thailand, all passengers must have a negative Covid test and be re-tested upon arrival. They must also reserve one night in a government-approved hotel while they await the results of the tests. The country had some of the world's most significant losses in the tourist business, with revenues falling from $63.75 billion in 2019 to $11 billion in 2020.

The industry, directly and indirectly, provides 18% of the country's GDP, which dropped by 6.1 per cent in 2020, the lowest performance in more than two decades. The impact resonated throughout several sectors, including the food industry and transportation, resulting in the loss of more than 3 million jobs out of a total of 4.03 million.

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Authorities anticipate that 1 million visitors will visit Thailand by March 2022. Revenues are likely to exceed $30 billion for the entire year of next year. However, many in the sector do not foresee a genuine return to normality until at least 2024. They refer to China, the country with the highest number of tourists, which still requires returnees to go through a severe quarantine, likely to hinder international travel. The US has also issued a travel warning for Thailand, recommending Americans to avoid the country owing to high Covid infection rates.

• Thailand
• COVID
• coronavirus
• vaccinated travellers