Travel agents are pressing to end the 14-day quarantine needed for international visitors entering from countries that are rated as a very low risk of Covid-19 spreading, hoping the government can comply with the proposal and begin in December. According to the president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, or ATTA, Vichit Prakobkoson, the step might carry in at least 100,000 tourists every month.
A number of prospective visitors are kept away by the prospect of 2 weeks in solitude before having a holiday. The thought of quarantine "repulses" them, Vichit notes. However, even though it means spending 14 days in quarantine, certain travelers are already on board while traveling to Thailand.
After a 6 month ban on foreign tourism, about 120 to 150 visitors on the latest Unique Tourist Visa are expected to arrive from China to Phuket next week. Tourists are expected to be quarantined at a state-approved facility for 14 days. The latest visa requires you to remain for 90 months and can be extended annually, for a period of 9 months.
Vichit says new steps would not be necessary to revive the crippled tourism industry in Thailand, which took a blow when the nation banned foreign travel to monitor the spread of the coronavirus. It is estimated that 1,200 international tourists would come per month under the current Special Tourist Visa, but Vichit says that if the quarantine is waived for people from countries deemed low risk, the number of monthly tourists may rise to 100,000 per month.
"The government can, if necessary, question and remove the state quarantine for some countries by this December. If so, around 100,000 foreigners will fly to Thailand every month and could remain for 5 to 7 days.
Source Thaiger
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