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THAILAND has canceled its entry policy requiring travelers to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination on Monday, (01/09), 2023. The move was taken due to adequate immunization rates in China and globally.
According to Thailand’s Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said checking evidence of vaccination was uncomfortable and a panel of health experts had agreed to lift the new rules announced on Saturday by the aviation authority ahead of a flood of visitors from China. The country with the most population in the world is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Those who are not vaccinated will also be allowed unrestricted entry. Showing proof of vaccination would be troublesome and troublesome, so a group decision is unnecessary,” he said.
As one of Asia’s most popular travel destinations, Thailand enjoyed an influx of visitors during its first peak season since the lifting of strict entry restrictions last year. COVID-19 has caused its tourism sector to collapse.
In November, it recorded 1.75 million visitors, four times the number last year when flights and foreign arrivals were restricted. China is very important to Thailand, accounting for about a quarter of its annual visitors before the pandemic.
Anutin said the government was now expecting 7-10 million Chinese visitors, compared to the previous 5 million. The first flight from China arrived in Thailand on Monday, January 8, 2023 with the first group of 3,465 passengers expected on the first day.
“We are very happy to return to Thailand. We have been waiting for three years,” said Wang Zhenyin, 39, one of the first to arrive. “Before COVID started we came here every year. And this time I brought my family to come here.”
Thailand’s tourism authority estimates the number of arrivals for last year has exceeded 11.5 million, more than a quarter of the nearly 40 million records in pre-pandemic 2019. At that time, tourists spent around 1.91 trillion Baht (IDR891 trillion).
The change in vaccine rules follows a similar policy changed by Thailand during the pandemic which has caused widespread confusion among travelers about entry requirements. Thailand will still require foreigners to show proof of health insurance for COVID-19 if their next destination requires a negative pre-entry test. [sources/photo special]
