The popular tourist island of Phuket today becomes the first location in the Southeast Asian country to welcome fully vaccinated foreign tourists, according to the “Phuket Sandbox” pilot program.

The information was confirmed by Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), who added that four flights with 249 passengers will arrive on Phuket Island today as the popular tourist destination reopens to foreign visitors without quarantine.

He clarified that CCSA is coordinating with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to receive the four flights, which will launch the aforementioned tourist reopening program. The visitors would come from several countries, mainly from Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

I'm on my way to Phuket to report about the start of the #PhuketSandbox tomorrow – Thailand's first attempt to allow fully vaccinated ppl quarantine-free trips into the country since the start of the pandemic. Bangkok's airport is awfully empty. Re-starting tourism won't be easy pic.twitter.com/z2ESk9Pxp9

— Mathias Peer (@mpeer) June 30, 2021

He restated that strict measures were implemented for the reopening of Phuket to keep the COVID-19 situation under control.

Before boarding a flight to Thailand, visitors must have five documents: an entry certificate, a medical one confirming a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before the flight (except for children under six years old), COVID-19 insurance of at least $100,000, proof of payment for accommodation and COVID-19 testing, and a certificate proving full vaccination at least within the previous 14 days.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the Tourism Authority of Thailand expects about 100,000 foreign visitors to Phuket in the third quarter of this year to generate domestic revenue of about $277 million.

In July, a total of 426 flights would serve eight thousand 281 inbound passengers and three thousand 613 outbound travelers with an average of 13 flights per day, Anucha said.

-Thailand News (TN)