Thailand aims to draw neighbours for one-day trips
Thailand’s Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to prepare guidelines to allow visitors from Thailand’s neighbouring countries, such as Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia, to take one-day trips to Thailand as the country prepares to reopen to tourism on November 1st.
Today (Tuesday), Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said discussions are being held and plans are being drawn up to allow tourists to travel over the Malaysian border into Hat Yai in Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla, and tourists from Laos to travel to the north-eastern province of Nong Khai. Tourists crossing the Thai-Myanmar border will be able to visit Tak province.
He also explained the preparations for the reopening of Thailand on November 1st, saying foreign arrivals must:
- Be arriving from a low-risk country on Thailand’s approved list.
- Be fully inoculated with a minimum of two doses of a recognised vaccine
- Have negative results from a RT-PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to the trip
- Take another RT-PCR test within 24 hours of arrival in Thailand
- Have a minimum of US$50,000 health insurance coverage while in Thailand
- Have written or electronic confirmation of hotel bookings
The Department of Disease Control has held two practice drills at the airport to determine the length of time tourists will have to spend in the airport, to reduce congestion.
Arriving children who have received their COVID-19 vaccinations will still be required to take an RT-PCR test because there have been reports of COVID-19 positive children entering the kingdom.
Tourists in the “sandbox” schemes will enter the country according to the conditions set by each province and must stay within tourist spots. On November 1st, tourists arriving in the 17 provinces which are ready to receive them, including Bangkok, Chonburi (Bang Lamung), Rayong (Samet Island) and Trat, must comply with the conditions specific to that province
Tourists entering Thailand will have to pay for their own RT-PCR tests, similar to the “Samui Plus” scheme.
