Are Thailand holidays coming back? Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao are reopening, with ‘Samui Plus’ and ‘Phuket Sandbox’ programmes welcoming vaccinated tourists ... but is the trip a good idea?
- Arrivals must quarantine at an approved resort hotel before they can visit neighbouring Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, once famous for its full-on Full Moon Party
- There are no flights from Hong Kong to Samui yet, but Samui to Singapore will open up on August 1
Thailand’s plan to steadily reopen to tourism continues with the popular holiday island Koh Samui opening its borders for fully vaccinated overseas visitors.
As of July 14, international travellers have been able to visit the island hotspot as part of Thailand’s “Samui Plus” model. Arrivals must spend seven days in quarantine at one of Samui’s 19 government-approved resort hotels before they can visit neighbouring islands Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, according to the Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT).
This comes on the back of Thailand’s inaugural “Phuket Sandbox” scheme that kicked off on July 1. Visitors to the island must test negative for Covid-19 three times over the course of 14 nights before being allowed to travel elsewhere in Thailand, though a special seven-day window has just opened for those planning to go to certain neighbouring areas like Koh Phi Phi.
The gradual reopening is part of a wider strategy by the Thai government to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated visitors without quarantine by mid-October. Since last year, visitors from over 50 countries and territories, including Hong Kong, have been able to visit Thailand, but have had to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. In April, the government temporarily reduced quarantine to 10 days, but reverted back to 14 days after the country suffered from a third wave of Covid-19 cases.
Despite the country’s vaccination efforts being ramped up in recent weeks, only 5 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Thailand is now experiencing at least 10,000 new cases a day, with dozens of deaths, the highest number they’ve experienced since the pandemic began. But despite the rising infections, the Thai government has been keen to welcome international arrivals again, with tourism a key contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Samui Plus model allows tourists to visit the popular dive island Koh Tao and the beach-fringed island of Koh Phangan.