Thailand’s Sandbox Program Now Open To All Countries

The Thailand government has removed its list of “eligible countries” allowing fully inoculated tourists from any country to participate in the sandbox tourism program. According to reports, TAT has supported the move of allowing visitors from Malaysia and Indonesia to visit Thailand. Malaysia was the country’s second-largest source of international arrivals before the pandemic, with over 4 million tourists visiting in 2019.

Additionally, the previously announced easing mandatory quarantine applies to tourists in sandbox programs with travelers having to stay for 7 days (previously 14 days) in sandbox areas before traveling anywhere in Thailand.

These sandbox areas include:
Phuket
Railay Beach
Koh Samui
Koh Phang Ngan
Koh Tao
Khao Lak
Koh Yao
Koh Phi Phi
Koh Ngai

According to officials, the Phuket sandbox tourism program began on July 1 and has already brought over 38,000 international tourists, earning about THB 2.3 billion in revenue. Bangkok Post reports that the southern island’s tourism businesses are worried about the upcoming peak season. With not more than 90% of the hotels closed, they are requesting the Thai government to streamline the entry requirements and lessen the cost of required RT PCR testing.

Another major obstacle for inviting international tourists to the country is Thailand’s inclusion in their high-risk countries to travel. Both the United Kingdom and the USA have issued travel warnings to Thailand, citing the country’s high infection rate and poor vaccination numbers. Returning tourists to the United Kingdom from Thailand are now required to undergo quarantine and COVID-19 RT PCR tests.

Source: Bangkok Post

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