FILE PHOTO: Local residents Stavros from Greece and Valina from Russia dance on an almost empty Kata beach as Phuket reopens to overseas tourists, allowing foreigners fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to visit the resort island without quarantine, in Phuket, Thailand July 1, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand announced rules on Friday for its quarantine-free reopening to visitors from 45 countries, in an effort to revive an economy struggling to recover from the collapse of its vital tourism sector.

 

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has for the past 18 months enforced strict pandemic entry rules that have been criticised in the travel industry for being too restrictive and onerous.

 

COVID-19 has cost Thailand about 3 million tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue. Since July it reopened Phuket and Samui islands in pilot projects.

 

The capital Bangkok and other top destinations like Pattaya, Hua Hin, Krabi and Chiang Mai, will reopen from Nov. 1 to vaccinated visitors from 45 nations, who must produce negative COVID-19 tests before and after arrival, plus COVID-19 insurance cover of at least $50,000.

 

Nighttime curfews in those areas will also be lifted.

 

"Reopening pilot tourism areas to more foreign visitors, will benefit the overall economy and jobs, particularly the tourism sector and related businesses," said Thai coronavirus task force spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan.

 

While tourism has been decimated in many countries, the impact in Thailand has been severe, with authorities targeting 100,000 arrivals this year, compared with nearly 40 million before the pandemic.

 

The eligible countries for quarantine exemption include Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia.

 

Visitors must have spent 21 consecutive days in those countries beforehand, unless Thailand was the original departure point, and must arrive by plane, among other requirements.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last week said entertainment venues would reopen by Dec. 1.

 

Neighbouring Cambodia, which also relies on tourism, has halved its quarantine period for vaccinated arrivals and started issuing tourism and business visas this week.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-10-22

 

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(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai; Editing by Martin Petty)

1 minute ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand announced rules on Friday for its quarantine-free reopening to visitors from 45 countries

Thailand announced Friday's rules for its quarantine-free reopening to visitors from 45 countries......better

Fools. Covid will explode here soon...

 

And all these rules will be very different in the coming weeks.  You know it, I know it.  Dogs know it.  

10 minutes ago, island coconut said:

Fools. Covid will explode here soon...

 

We'll have to live with covid...What do you suggest? Shutting down FOR EVER? All Thailand can do is mass immunization and exercise the controls as they doing. You have no right to critise or make gloomy predictions without offering a better solution.

16 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Visitors must have spent 21 consecutive days in those countries beforehand, unless Thailand was the original departure point

So its okay if you travel from Thailand to a high-risk country for 20 days and come back without quarantine?

13 minutes ago, island coconut said:

Fools. Covid will explode here soon...

 

Feel free to explain the logic of importing covid free tourists and a covid boom

1 minute ago, RichardColeman said:

Feel free to explain the logic of importing covid free tourists and a covid boom

Money

New and improved CoE app not mentioned.

 

1-2 day quarantine hotel while waiting for results not mentioned.

 

Curfew and bars pubs ???

 

What about transportation restrictions? Tried to go to Koh Tao a few weeks ago. They wanted a 3000b PCR test to board the boat. Can't make this stuff up...going to stop feeling sorry for the industry soon.

15 minutes ago, island coconut said:

Fools. Covid will explode here soon...

 

so it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.   So what is your suggestion,  close for another year   ?   Lol

No nightlife, I will delay my trip. Friends don’t want to fly there without entertainment.

28 minutes ago, Chad3000 said:

Tried to go to Koh Tao

lucky you .....   not the place to go thats for sure. 

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

lucky you .....   not the place to go thats for sure. 

I'm with my Thai wife, we stay well away from all those stupid backpacker areas. Place is fine. No more murders can happen bc that would mean the three Burmese that they accused actually didn't do it. Which would mean the murder would still need to be chased down.

35 minutes ago, Shuya said:

So its okay if you travel from Thailand to a high-risk country for 20 days and come back without quarantine?

No. Read the new rules. They are simple

51 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last week said entertainment venues would reopen by Dec. 1.

Until that is cast in stone (very unlikely of that happening!) tourists will spend their hard earned cash elsewhere 

1 minute ago, steven100 said:

well have to see what eventuates,  but i know they are eager for some quick baht if your interested

I let you know when I arrive. Have them cleaned and ready lol

2 minutes ago, Chad3000 said:

I'm with my Thai wife, we stay well away from all those stupid backpacker areas. Place is fine.

Are there any backpackers in Thailand now?

Just now, The Hammer2021 said:

Are there any backpackers in Thailand now?

Yes, a few hanging on using covid as excuse but that was last April.

 

Started seeing a few broke ass tourist cum long stayers in my area now. Can lump those guys in with *the great unwashed*. One 60 year old fat tourist walking hand in hand with a rental half his age to MRT. Awww true love.

5 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Are there any backpackers in Thailand now?

not in my luxury condo

6 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

No. Read the new rules. They are simple

Simply a hassle more like it.

 

Good luck Thailand.

 

From the included countries:

 

No CoE, Should have made mafia PCR test ATK. NO BS mafia hotel.

 

Now government on the hook when it all fails again. No high season tourists. More bad policy.

So, it's "quarantine-free" and we are "exempt from quarantine" but we have to quarantine for one to two nights on arrival. Am I understanding that correctly? 

1 minute ago, JCP108 said:

So, it's "quarantine-free" and we are "exempt from quarantine" but we have to quarantine for one to two nights on arrival. Am I understanding that correctly? 

And no CoE

Just Covid-Pass.

 

From the nation that gave the world the phrase...

 

Same-same

Okay the headline is:

 

Thailand announces reopening rules for tourism reboot

 

I could only find 3 rules in the article

 

1. The eligible countries for quarantine exemption include Britain, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia.

 

2. Visitors must have spent 21 consecutive days in those countries beforehand, unless Thailand was the original departure point, and must arrive by plane, among other requirements.

 

3. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last week said entertainment venues would reopen by Dec. 1.

 

Could we just escalate rule 3 please, we need to start living life ????

51 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Feel free to explain the logic of importing covid free tourists and a covid boom

Covids spreads even with draconian, authoritarian lockdowns such as in Australia and New Zealand. So its not unreasonable to predict an increase in covid here once the country is opened up.

1 minute ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Covids spreads even with draconian, authoritarian lockdowns such as in Australia and New Zealand. So its not unreasonable to predict an increase in covid here once the country is opened up.

agreed - but not from covid free arrival tourists. Cannot blame tourists for Thailand vaccine roll out

Wake me up when the Thai government wakes up to the fact that millions of foreigners are going anywhere but here. ZZZZZZ! BORING! 

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

so it's damned if you do & damned if you don't.   So what is your suggestion,  close for another year   ?   Lol

Yeah. Why not.....

Just open up and take our chances. 

 

Better bet that any such exaggerated claims of chaos exploding will not come about. 

1 minute ago, Mitkof Island said:

Wake me up when the Thai government wakes up to the fact that millions of foreigners are going anywhere but here. ZZZZZZ! BORING! 

WAKE UP.... Bali and Fiji are open from 1 November with no restrictions and have beaches and culture that rival Thailand....oh wait, sorry, go back to sleep as you already said that ????

1 hour ago, Chad3000 said:

 Tried to go to Koh Tao a few weeks ago. They wanted a 3000b PCR test to board the boat. Can't make this stuff up...going to stop feeling sorry for the industry soon.

They saved your life. Literally.

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

You have no right to critise or make gloomy predictions without offering a better solution.

 

Excuse me.   As long as the poster follows  the rules of this forum, he has as much right to offer an opinion as you have.