PHUKET has now opened its borders to allow foreign tourists to roam free without the need of going through quarantine for the first time in over a year, following Thailand’s special programme for vaccinated visitors to the island.
Even within the first 24 hours of arriving in the country, tourists were already able to have a relaxing swim in hotel pools and walked along the city’s beaches.
“This is the perfect place to just relax and clean our minds, our heads, after a long time,” said tourist Sigal Baram, lying by the pool, who was visiting from Israel with her husband and friends. The group was among the first to arrive in the country.
The ‘Phuket Sandbox’ initiative allows free movement on the island for fully vaccinated tourists, with no quarantine required, although masks are required in most public places.
While five-star hotels and restaurants welcomed back tourists, local street vendors said they were not benefiting from the plan, because tourists frequent mostly large hotels.
“There is no way street vendors will get the money from overseas tourists. It will go to hotels and restaurants instead,” said Yupin Papor, a massage therapist who lost her job during the pandemic and became a street vendor selling food on the beach.
Thailand lost about US$50 bil in tourism revenue last year, when foreign arrivals plunged 83% and Phuket was hit particularly hard by job losses and business closures. – July 3, 2021
