For northern hemisphere tourists, Thailand is a lovely place to visit in the winter. Near the equator, this tropical country is a popular destination particularly for tourists from North America and Europe. But this is 2020, and the nation has been sealed to outside tourists since March. While closed borders were the responsible choice, they weren’t an easy one for many nations, including Thailand. Approximately 15 percent of the country’s GDP comes from tourism. Responding to pressure, the nation has reopened its borders—a little.
Currently, the country is encouraging domestic tourism as a way to help prop up the hardest-hit industries such as expeditions, restaurants, and resorts. It is considered safe, as Thailand hasn’t reported any community transmission of COVID-19 since May, long before New Zealand made international news by bringing its community transmission rate down to zero.
But communities more outside the sphere of capital city Bangkok have been devastated by the lack of international tourists, and consequently have been applying pressure towards reopening the borders.
In a public forum on August 21, 2020, Thailand Minister of Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced that the country is aiming to reopen to foreign tourism in a very specific, safety-minded manner called “Safe and Sealed.” Under this program, a single international airport in Phuket would allow tourists to arrive. Visitors would be required to quarantine in a designated resort for 14 days and undergo testing, before being allowed to disperse into designated “bubbles” of three to four resorts and other attractions. Guests would be required to register their travel plans with the ministry of tourism and spot-checks would ensure compliance. If tourists wish to leave the area of Phuket, they would be subject to an additional 7-day quarantine and a third COVID-19 test.
The precautions sound drastic, but every country that has opened to tourism has immediately seen a resurgence of COVID-19, with the virus constantly being re-introduced by tourists either oblivious to or actively concealing their infected status. The world could perhaps learn from Thailand’s example.
Photo: Wooden fishing boats at sunset in Phuket, Thailand. Credit: Shutterstock