Koh Samui opens for bookings from vaccinated foreign tourists

Koh Samui’s sealed route programme, Samui Plus, has opened for business, with vaccinated tourists now able to apply for a certificate of entry. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says some details need to be ironed out, including determing the cost of a 7-day stay at an alternative state quarantine facility, to include Covid-19 tests and medical fees. According to a Bangkok Post report, the cost is expected to be around 35,000 baht.

Ratchaporn says that unlike the strict measures imposed on local travellers to Phuket, Koh Samui does not plan to ask vaccinated local arrivals to show a negative Covid-19 test result. However, this is liable to change as the situation evolves. In Phuket, tougher measures come into effect on Thursday for arrivals from 34 high-risk provinces, which Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says will limit domestic tourism. Arrivals from the high-risk provinces will need to be fully vaccinated, or have had 1 dose of AstraZeneca, as well as a negative Covid-19 PCR or rapid antigen test within 7 days of travel to Phuket.

“The new measures in Phuket will not affect the domestic market because people are not in the mood to travel. We should wait until the number of cases drops to 2,000 to see travel sentiment improve.”

Meanwhile, Bill Barnett from the hospitality and property consultancy firm C9 Hotelworks says domestic travel is going to be a lower priority than Phuket’s sandbox re-opening to international tourists.

“So far, the sandbox has over 4,000 international arrivals and 6 confirmed cases, a fraction of 1%. The fundamental issue is that Thailand has to learn to co-exist with the virus.”

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SOURCE: Bangkok Post