Thailand is slowly returning to life after the quarantine. Recently, the Thailand Board of Investment announced another step of lifting restrictions. This time, the country allows 11 categories of travelers to arrive in Thailand. For tourists, who want to travel as soon as possible but are concerned for their safety, hotels in Phuket or a hotel in Koh Samui may be a perfectly suitable choice because Thailand currently occupies the 2nd place out of 184 countries in the Global COVID-19 Recovery Index by PEMANDU Associates.
Such a good result and efficient management of the virus spread is no surprise. Last year, the World Economic Forum put Thailand on the 6th place in its rank of the best-prepared countries in the case of a pandemic. A well-developed national healthcare system together with a strong research base and a network of hospitals create a strong foundation for emergency problems. Thailand is one of the best examples of how to manage pandemic efficiently.
By the start of July, Thailand had already 36 days without any new registered cases of COVID-19. The country also develops its low-cost vaccine against COVID-19 and plans to distribute it to ASEAN countries (Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia) and Pakistan. As things are getting better, Thailand decided to lift some travel restrictions. Starting from the 1st of July 2020, 11 new categories of travelers can enter the country. To be able to do this right now, tourists need to have a Certificate of Entry.
Business travelers and investors are a priority group that can obtain this certificate. The country hopes that it can soon open its borders for all tourists. The country’s tourism industry accounts for 12% in Thailand’s GDP, so it is crucial to halt travel bans. In 2019, the country welcomed 40 million guests. The new and revised plan for tourist arrivals in 2020 is much more modest only 14 million guests. A flight ban expires this month as well, and the country may reopen its borders for a broader group of tourists.
Thailand's government is also discussing an opportunity of making the so-called “travel bubbles”. These will be areas like Pattaya, Phuket, and other popular tourist destinations. Tourists will be allowed to enter these territories and enjoy their vacations there, but wouldn’t be able to travel across the country. As restaurants, nightclubs, massage salons, and other entertainment venues reopen in Thailand, these businesses hope that more foreign guests enter the country as they are often major customers.