Twenty tourism associations in Thailand have asked the Covid-19 Situation Management Center (CCSA) to simplify the testing of foreign tourists before the start of the high tourist season in the country, according to Nation Thailand.
“April is the high tourist season, the time of the Easter holidays, when European tourists most often take. And this year, these holidays also coincide with the Songkran festival in Thailand,” explained Phuket Tourism Association President Phumikit Raktaengam.
Representatives of the tourism industry have come up with a number of initiatives that, in their opinion, will significantly facilitate the entry of foreign tourists into the country.
First of all, they proposed to cancel the second mandatory PCR test, which must be done on the fifth day upon entry under the Test & Go scheme. According to the statistics cited by the authors of the appeal, the infection rate among foreigners taking the test on the fifth day is lower than the infection rate among local residents of tourist provinces. Eliminating the second test would cut tourist spending and attract more visitors, the paper notes.
Also, business participants are advised to reduce the quarantine period for foreign citizens with a positive PCR test from 10 to 5 days, as well as cancel quarantine for those who have been in contact with the infected if they showed a negative test on the first day.
Another proposed measure is to reduce the mandatory insurance coverage from $50,000 to $25,000, which will also make holidays in Thailand affordable for more foreigners.
In the motivational part, the authors of the appeal noted that many other countries have already relaxed their measures to combat coronavirus in order to stimulate tourism. Specifically, on February 10, the Philippines canceled tests on arrival and now only request a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours of arrival.
In Cambodia, only a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before departure and a rapid antigen test upon arrival are required.
In addition, since March 15, Vietnam has been easing restrictive measures.
“The relaxation of entry conditions in these countries means that Thailand will lose its competitive advantage in the international tourism market, as tourists tend to choose destinations with less restrictions,” said Phumikit Raktaengam. “Therefore, the tourism associations are calling on the government to relax measures for foreign visitors in order to preserve our tourism industry and allow Thais to return to normal life as soon as possible.”