No foreign tourists to arrive tomorrow, the first day of “Samui Plus” reopening

No tourists will arrive in Koh Samui tomorrow, the first day of the island’s reopening under the “Samui Plus” travel scheme, similar to the “Phuket Sandbox.” Only 4 foreign tourists are expected on Friday. Tourism officials say it will be a slow start and they expect that an influx of travellers to the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand will be in a couple of months.

Tomorrow, the island will welcome 11 foreigners from media companies to promote the reopening scheme which allows tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the island without undergoing a 14-day quarantine. They’ll take a Bangkok Airways flight from the capital to Koh Samui. Chairperson of the Koh Samui Tourism Promotion Association says they don’t expect a lot of travellers to visit during the third quarter of the year given the rise in Covid-19 cases. More are expected in the fourth quarter.

“We do not expect a lot of travellers to visit Thailand in the third quarter this year as the rise in the country’s daily Covid-19 cases would affect their confidence… However, what we can do is start tourist operations in line with standard procedure in a bid to stimulate the country’s tourism.”

For more information on how to get into Thailand during the pandemic, CLICK HERE.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand