Thailand To Allow Vaccinated Tourists With Less Restrictions

Last Updated 4 years ago

On the heels of releasing a new tourist tracking app, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that the country will begin to allow vaccinated tourists with a shorter quarantine and may even waive it entirely. The new program could see Thailand's battered tourism industry start to thrive once again as one of the world's most visited countries.

Tourist in Thailand excited about ocean and cliffs

TAT Governor, Yuthasak Supasorn said that the program for vaccinated tourists will be introduced step by step. The first step being a reduced quarantine from 14 days to 3 days or waiving it entirely he explained.

Although no confirmed start date for the program was given, the Governor told Reuters “We have to be fast because we want to start welcoming tourists in the third quarter,”

Tourism Authority of Thailand Announces Less Restrictive Quarantine

Quarantine quarters at the 6000 rooms the Thai government has allocated for isolation are about to get a whole lot nicer next month. According to Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, tourists in quarantine will be free to move more around the hotel as “hotel area quarantine” programs are introduced. This is a big change from visitors having to quarantine within their own room for 14 days.

Thailand Prepares For Influx of Tourists

The TAT is preparing for an influx of tourists and expecting to begin selling tour packages after April. This announcement comes as a new contact tracing app was released for tourists. The new mandatory app uses QR codes to track tourists movement.

Throughout Thailand, businesses including accommodations, restaurants, shopping centers and tourism attractions will display prominent QR codes in which tourists must check in and out of. If a traveler comes into contact with someone infected with Covid-19, they will be provided real time advice on what steps to take and how to protect themselves.

Thailand's Battered Tourism Industry

Thailand went from 40 million visitors in 2019 to 7.7 million visitors in 2020. The reduction in visitors due to the pandemic and strict border controls caused an estimated loss of USD $53 billion to the Thai economy.

Thailand Has Introduced Visa Free Travel

Countries including the United States and Canada may now travel to Thailand visa free for up to 45 days. While the move was positive, strict entry requirements have kept most travelers away including 4 Covid-19 tests and a mandatory 14 day hotel quarantine.

Additionally 63 countries have also been added to the new visa free travel program.

Long Stay Visas For Thailand

Thailand also introduced two long stay tourist programs.

Tourist Visa: TR Visa 60 days
Long Stay Tourist: STV Visa – Special Tourist Visa 90 days

Both visas allow visitors to stay in Thailand longer but do take additional steps to be approved. Find out how to apply for the TR and STV visa.

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