Tourists Visiting Phuket Are Urged To Get COVID-19 Insurance.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said it had informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Insurance Commission to check Sandbox tourists visiting Phuket are appropriately insured before being granted a COE or Certificate Of Entry. Nanthasiri Ronnasiri addressed the matter during a live news conference last July 21, after it was revealed that a British visitor had tested positive for the virus, bringing the number to 19 so far under the Sandbox program.

“The issue we’ve discovered with some of the guests who visited Phuket via the Sandbox program and tested positive for the virus so far is that their current insurance doesn’t cover COVID-19 medication,” Director Nanthasiri revealed. However, she did not disclose how many of the 19 afflicted so far had COVID-19 insurance coverage.

“Before registering for a Certificate of Entry, guests must have insurance coverage that covers COVID-19, assuring they will not be charged for any treatment costs. We encourage all guests planning to visit Phuket to do so,” Director Nanthasiri added. Tourism Authority of Thailand has spoken with appropriate authorities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Insurance Commission to explain this condition and to assure that we work collaboratively to find a solution,” she said.

No further details were given about how the Certificate of Entry was granted without the necessary insurance coverage in hand.

Director Nanthasiri provided a more comprehensive update on data, stating that since the program’s debut on July 1 until July 20, 8,981 registrations had been verified through the Sandbox. Except for Thais, the top 5 nationalities in this total are from the USA, UK, Israel, and France.

“We identify that a typical sandbox visitor spends 11 nights in Phuket,” Director Nanthasiri stated. “Some individuals remain for 7 days and then return home,” she said.

“The revenue produced by these visitors reaches 400M Baht.  This calculation is based on hotel room prices and other related expenses but does not include airline fees. Still, hotel room rates are deemed cheap at the moment.”

According to Chief Nachaphong Pranit, from July 1 and 20, a total of 2,358 visitors, or about 27 percent of Sandbox arrivals, took 503 boat excursions through the island’s marinas and piers. Since July 14, 101 sandbox guests have gone through the Phuket border on their way to neighboring provinces, according to Commander Maj Gen Pornsak Nuannoo.

“Consequently, once they back to Phuket, they should properly prepare documents to comply with the Phuket provincial order’s entrance requirements,” he stressed.

Source: Phuket News

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