Phuket hopes to welcome more travelers
A week after the start of an ambitious but risky plan to open the Thai resort island of Phuket to vaccinated visitors, the island’s tourism infrastructure in the region is already active. Reported by the Associated Press.
The tourism recovery is underway even as the number of new COVID cases in other parts of the country has skyrocketed to record levels, AP notes.
The island off the southwest coast of Thailand, whose economy is 95% dependent on the tourism industry, received 2,399 visitors in the first week of July.
The so-called “Phuket Sandbox Plan” is based on a strategy of mass vaccination, testing and restrictions: the country is trying to mitigate the threat from COVID-19. But at the same time, they provide tourists with enough freedom to enjoy a beach holiday.
A week before the launch of the sandbox on July 1, only 17 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Phuket. The numbers rose in the first week but remained low at 27 new cases.
But in other parts of the country, the numbers were significantly higher. So, on August 8, Thailand recorded a record 7,058 cases of COVID and 75 deaths, which made many skeptical about the opening of tourism in Phuket, reports AP.
The representatives of the authorities were called upon to urgently resolve the priority issues to combat the surge in infection.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-oha has been criticized for allegedly failing to cope with the new wave of COVID. Some political cartoons depict him sitting on the beach while Thais are being rescued from coronavirus in hospitals.
Phuket Tourism Association President Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said the revival program has been launched and is working successfully. He expects that 30,000 new tourists will arrive in the country in August.
“COVID-19 can affect the overall situation in the country. But I believe that visitors will understand that Phuket is safe enough for them, so this should not affect their travel plans, ”he said.
Liron Or, a tourist from Israel, decided on a 10-day trip to Phuket with her husband and five children. She planned a vacation after hearing about the Thai sandbox plan, writes AP. It is easy to follow the prescribed precautions while on vacation, she said.
“We took the risk of going. And this trip gives our children great joy. By the way, there are not so many tourists on the beaches now, ”she says.
What are the rules for visiting Phuket today
Travelers arriving in other regions of Thailand are subject to strict 14-day quarantine in hotel rooms at their own expense. But according to the sandbox plan, visitors to Phuket can walk around the island, relax on the beaches, go water skiing, go to restaurants.
Visitors are only admitted from countries with a “no higher than average” risk level. At the moment, most of them have come from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Tourists must provide proof of complete vaccination, negative test result for COVID-19. It must be done no later than 72 hours before departure. You also need insurance to cover your COVID treatment.
Once on the island, they must comply with the general rules for wearing masks and distance, undergo three PCR tests for COVID-19 at their own expense (at a price of about $ 300 for three tests). After 14 days, visitors can travel anywhere in Thailand without additional restrictions.
Before the launch of the program, about 70% of the island’s residents received at least one dose of the vaccine. Also, all workers in the hotels and tourism industry on the island were fully vaccinated.
Currently, 131,809 hotel nights have been booked in Phuket, of which 9,745 are for August and 1,094 for September.
“In other regions of the country, they are closely following the experiment in Phuket, as they are also seeking to gradually resume their activities,” the AP notes.
