(Bangkok) Vaccinated travelers from over forty countries will be allowed to travel to Thailand without being required to undergo a quarantine from 1er November, Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha announced Thursday.
The extension of the list of countries and territories whose nationals will be accepted in Thailand responds to the urgent need to “stimulate the tourism sector and other economic sectors (which are) linked to it”, underlined Mr. Prayut.
Last week, the head of government said that initially, Thailand would accept tourists from ten “countries considered to be low risk”.
“We have to go faster,” Prayut added. “Because if we wait for everything to be perfect, it will be too late,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
In addition to those from the United States, Great Britain and China, vaccinated tourists from European countries like France and Germany will be allowed to visit Thailand, provided they present a negative PCR test.
Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong are also on this list of countries or territories considered “low risk”.
Upon arrival in Thailand, travelers will be required to undergo another test for COVID-19 and remain isolated for a single night in a government-approved hotel while awaiting the results, before being allowed to continue their journey freely.
“There is a risk that the number of people infected will increase, but it is a risk that we have accepted,” said Prayut.
Thailand recorded its worst economic performance in more than two decades last year, losing around $ 50 billion in tourism revenue.
The number of foreign travelers collapsed 83% to 6.7 million, down from nearly 40 million before the pandemic.
Mr Prayut had initially warned that 70% of Thais must be vaccinated before the kingdom opens its borders. To date, almost 40% have been fully immunized.
Thailand registers around 10,000 cases per day. In total, it has identified more than 1.8 million cases and 8,559 deaths from COVID-19.