Out of the many destinations that are reopening their borders to vaccinated travellers, we're definitely excited for the reopening of Phuket in July 2021. Known as the largest island in Thailand, it creates a glimmer of hope that leisure travel to the Land of Smiles may happen sooner than we think. Besides that, there are more exciting news coming your way!
Krabi, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and more tourist provinces plan to reopen in October 2021
On 3 April 2021, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced a three-stage reopening plan for six tourist destinations, which will eventually lead to a no-quarantine requirement for international travellers. Besides the targeted reopening of Phuket in July 2021, other tourist provinces in Thailand such as Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai are set to reopen to vaccinated travellers in October 2021.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the three-stage reopening plan will take place as followed:
Stage 1 (April to June 2021)
- Under the '0+7 nights designated routes' model, vaccinated international travellers will undergo quarantine in government-approved hotels or other facilities for 7 nights.
- After completing the quarantine, travellers are then allowed to explore other destinations in Thailand.
Stage 2 (July to September 2021)
- Under the 'Phuket Sandbox' programme, quarantine requirements will be lifted for vaccinated international travellers
- However, these travellers are only allowed to explore Phuket for 7 days before they're allowed to explore other places in Thailand
- The reopening of Phuket, under the 'Phuket Sandbox' programme, will be a test for other popular destinations.
- Other tourist provinces like Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai will take on the '0+7 nights designated routes' model.
Stage 3 (October to December 2021)
- Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai will lift the quarantine requirements for vaccinated international travellers
- Similar to the 'Phuket Sandbox' programme, travellers are only allowed to explore these tourist provinces for 7 days before they're allowed to explore other places in Thailand
New entry requirements for vaccinated international travellers to Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand also detailed new entry requirements for vaccinated international travellers who want to visit the aforementioned tourist provinces. They will need to present the following documents:
- A valid visa or re-entry permit
- A Certificate of Entry (COE) issued by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate
- A COVID-19 health insurance policy with a minimum coverage of US$100,000
- Confirmation of Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel booking
- A medical certificate with a RT-PCR laboratory result indicating that the person is tested negative for COVID-19, no more than 72 hours before departure
The Royal Thai Government also announced that vaccinated international travellers must be:
- Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine that's approved and registered with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) or approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), no less than 14 days before the travelling date.
- The traveller must also be from countries with no mutated strain of SAR-CoV-2 virus
It may be a while before we can safely travel abroad again, but the reopening of our favourite travel destination certainly creates a glimmer of hope that better days are on its way. If you're excited to plan for your future getaways, check out more destinations that are reopening their borders to vaccinated travellers!