It floats like a perfume of life before in the Land of Smiles.
After several months of (very) gradual lifting of restrictions linked to Covid, Thailand is removing, as of July 1, the two major constraints which were still hindering the arrival of tourists on its territory.
First the "Thailand Pass", this sesame which required travelers to provide before departure, on a government site, health and travel documents as proof of vaccination.
But also the obligation to take out, in parallel, insurance covering at least 10,000 dollars in health costs – the estimated sum of medical treatment during their stay if they contracted Covid-19.
If these two restrictions are lifted, however, there remains the obligation to present, as for a large majority of countries in the world:
For those
vaccinated
, a valid vaccination certificate, attesting to a complete vaccination schedule carried out using one of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or by the Thai Ministry of Public Health (Sinovac, AstraZeneca , Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, Nanovax, Medigen, Covaxin, Turkovac), at least 14 days before departure;
For those who have
not been vaccinated
, the result of a PCR or antigen test carried out within 72 hours before travel.
Those who do not have this test will not be refused entry into the country but they will have to follow the instructions of the health authorities on site and undergo medical tests or treatments at their own expense.
Nothing but very classic, the majority of countries in the world still requiring these documents which can be presented in printed or digital form, specify the tourism authorities in the country, the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Good to know also: the French traveler does not have to present a visa for a stay in Thailand not exceeding thirty days.
Read alsoHow Thailand plans to turn the page on mass tourism
On site, random checks can be carried out at international airports as well as at road crossing points between the different provinces.
The obligation to wear a mask was lifted on June 24 but it remains recommended in closed public places.
If Bangkok also maintains this obligation in its metro trains, revelers will be delighted to learn that the capital, like 76 provinces of the country, has gone into the “green zone”.
Some activities can therefore resume there normally and bars and other places of entertainment are authorized to open until 2 a.m.
Read alsoGood behavior to adopt when you are a tourist in Thailand
From the obstacle course to the return to normal
These announcements mark the final stage of a very gradual reopening process in Thailand, started with the implementation of the "sandbox" protocol in Phuket - a real obstacle course for the tourist - and completed on May 1, with the lifting of of the test on arrival for the vaccinated.
Will this return to more comfortable travel conditions bring tourists back?
They were 40 million in 2019, against only 430,000 in 2021.
“In the first four months of 2022, the country welcomed 1.4 million visitors, which is better than our expectations.
We are aiming for 10 million over the whole year.
, confided to
Le Figaro
in June the director of the tourism authority in Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn.
These expectations mainly concern the end of the year, the peak of the tourist season in Thailand.
And the country seems to have learned the lessons of the pandemic by giving up on
“mass tourism”
which may have
“damaged its image”
in the past.
“Our objective is no longer to find the attendance records that we had before the crisis.
(...) We are turning this page to focus on upgrading our tourist offer, based on niche segments such as well-being,
honeymoon
or
nomadic workers
,”
adds Yuthasak Supasorn.
Thailand before, but better.
Read alsoKoh Mak and Koh Kood in Thailand: two islands far from the mass tourism of Phuket