Thailand reopening: authorities remove restrictions for vaccinated travelers to boost tourism

Thailand announced yesterday Friday that it will remove entry restrictions for travelers vaccinated against covid-19 from May 1, in a move aimed at boosting its important and damaged tourism sector.

“We will cancel the ‘Test & Go’, changing it to the antigen test, so that it will facilitate the opening to tourism Many countries are changing their measures,” said Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, who recalled that Thailand depends on tourism to improve its economy.

The announcement means the elimination of the current pandemic screening system for passengers, known as “Test & Go”, which complicates tourist arrivals to the country.

The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday approved the lifting of the PCR testing requirement for international arrivals as of May 1, 2022 and introduced two new entry schemes specifically customized for vaccinated and unvaccinated. Tourists will no longer have to undergo a test on arrival, but the unvaccinated will be required to quarantine for five days and undergo a PCR test on the fifth day.

Thailand drops requirement of PCR test for all vaccinated tourists https://t.co/fzIgZFby8X

— Healthcare-Global😷 (@HealthcareGlob1) April 23, 2022

According to information from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), vaccinated persons “must still register for a Thailand Pass (through https://tp.consular.go.th/ ) with a Certificate of COVID-19 vaccination and an insurance policy with coverage of not less than $10,000 (about €9,200).” The current requirement is a minimum coverage of US$20,000 (about €18,500).

As noted above, the authorities will reduce the minimum health insurance coverage from $20,000 to $10,000.

For tourists who do not have the full vaccination schedule, they must also register for the Thailand Pass and must have a five-day hotel reservation and an insurance policy with coverage of not less than US$10,000.

Last month, the Thai Hotel Association called on the authorities to open the borders to unrestricted tourism, fearing that the country would lose market share to other countries in the region.

-Thailand News (TN)