Last week, Thailand decided to bring back vaccination certificates for foreign tourists, fearing an influx of travelers from China.
Thailand lifted the mandatory requirement for foreign tourists to carry proof of vaccination against the coronavirus just days after their return.
Last week, Thai authorities announced stricter entry rules for foreigners to come into effect on January 9, 2023, amid China’s opening of its borders to international tourism. However, after mass complaints from the local tourism business, which fears a decrease in tourist flows, the authorities announced the cancellation of the innovation in the morning of January 9, writes Bloomberg.
As the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Health of Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul explained, the decision not to introduce new rules was made on the basis that most Thais, as well as tourists from China and other countries, are fully vaccinated and have some degree of immunity against virus Whereas the requirement to have proof of vaccination may scare them away from going on holiday to Thailand.
At the same time, local authorities expect that the number of tourists arriving in Thailand will continue to grow, which will contribute to the recovery of the economy. This year, the country is expecting 7 to 10 million Chinese travelers alone to arrive by air. In 2022, the country attracted about 11.5 million foreign visitors, compared with 40 million before the pandemic in 2019, when almost a quarter of them were from China. This year, the government expects to welcome 25 million foreign tourists.
At the same time, Thailand will continue to require travelers arriving from countries that require negative PCR test results upon entry to also have appropriate medical insurance that covers the cost of treatment in the event of infection while visiting the country.