Test & Go
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Talk of Test & Go cutoff date, approved travellers can’t reschedule flights
UPDATE: At the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting this morning, a spokesperson for the Thai PM noted that Prayut Chan-o-cha supports extending the current suspension of the Test & Go program. The PM also indicated support for a January 10 sunset date for currently approved Thailand Pass applications – those approved before December 21 and for those applications made before…
- Koh Samui News
Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox
Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. Operators are also asking for a sandbox programme for Samui, demanding to know why this is currently limited to Phuket only. According to a Pattaya News report, operators have cited multiple cancellations of hotel bookings from foreign tourists who had…
- Covid-19 News
Chiang Mai hoteliers ordered to strictly follow Covid prevention for Test & Go travellers
Chiang Mai health officials are ordering hoteliers to be more strict when it comes to Covid-19 preventative measures, especially when it comes to the Test & Go entry scheme, after two foreign travellers in the northern province tested positive for the Omicron variant. Under the Test & Go scheme (registration is closed), fully vaccinated travellers can enter Thailand after passing…
- Phuket News
TUI Nordic continue their European flights into Phuket
Yesterday it was reported that Europe’s largest travel firm TUI Nordic announced it had cancelled scheduled chartered flights to Phuket from December to April next year. The Thaiger has since been contacted by TUI Nordic to say that the information, originally published by The Nation, was incorrect. European travel giant TUI, with their headquarters in Sweden, have now confirmed that…
- Thailand News
No cutoff date for those approved to enter Thailand under Test & Go, Sandbox
There is no travel cutoff date (for now) for those approved to enter Thailand under the Test & Go or Sandbox entry schemes. Following the decision to close Thailand Pass registration for the two schemes, the government announced the last group of approved travellers would arrive on January 10. That date was never posted in the Royal Gazette, and a spokesperson…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: TUI Nordic to continue services into Phuket
UPDATE: Yesterday it was reported that Europe’s largest travel firm TUI Nordic announced it had cancelled scheduled chartered flights to Phuket from December to April next year. We’ve since been contacted by TUI Nordic to say that the information, originally published by The Nation, was incorrect. A Phuket representative was quoted originally, but the Senior Product Manager of TUI Nordic,…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists
While tourism is still far below the levels of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was showing an uptick before the Omicron variant drove government officials to cancel the Test & Go scheme that avoided any significant quarantine and which brought the vast majority of tourists since launching in November. But while tourism has been tepid, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan,…
- Northern Thailand News
First Test & Go land entry will remain closed due to Omicron
Just a few days after confirming plans to open the land border between Thailand and Laos in Nong Khai tomorrow, the reopening was tabled indefinitely for fears of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The cheerily-named Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge that links the 2 countries will remain closed for the time being to prevent the spread of Covid-19, having been planned as…
- Tourism News
Civil Aviation Authority notifies airlines of new regulations for entering Thailand
A notice from Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority has been issued to airlines to advise them of the new conditions for entering the kingdom. The move follows the suspension of the Test & Go system and all sandbox schemes with the exception of Phuket’s. The government took the decision to suspend the schemes as a result of the recently emerged Omicron…
- Phuket News
Tourism officials say Test & Go suspension could have knock-on affect for Phuket
The head of the Phuket Tourist Association says the potential knock-on effect of the Test & Go suspension is not yet known. Bhummikitti Raktaengam says the number of foreign tourists arriving on the island via the sandbox scheme could be affected. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says it remains to be seen if overall visitor numbers to Thailand…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s tourist provinces plead to be included in sandbox scheme
While Thailand’s Test & Go entry system is suspended, foreign tourists can only enter the kingdom through alternative quarantine or the Phuket sandbox scheme. Now, tourism operators in other parts of the country are urging the government to include their provinces in the sandbox programme. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi from the Chon Buri Tourism Council says destinations that are within a 2-hour…
- World News
Singapore cancels its quarantine-free VTL programme for 1 month
Much like Thailand has ceased its Test & Go programme that allows vaccinated travellers to enter the country without quarantine aside from waiting for an RT-PCR test result, Singapore is putting their quarantine-free travel plan on hold as well. The government of Singapore says they are taking action to try to avoid the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui tourism officials, businesses call on government to open Sandbox registration
The Phuket Sandbox is now the only quarantine substitution programme open for registration, but those on the Gulf of Thailand island Koh Samui are calling on the government to allow the Samui Sandbox scheme to continue as usual. Since the government’s announcement yesterday on closing registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme and the Sandbox scheme, with the…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in
UPDATE: Thai media reports that the traveller who tested positive for Covid-19 and left his quarantine hotel without permission has contacted the Embassy of Israel in Thailand to turn himself in to police in Koh Samui. The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson for told Thai media the travellers could face criminal charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Officials are still looking…
- Phuket News
Governor cancels plan to allow all night drinking in Phuket on New Year’s Eve
The Phuket News is reporting that plans to allow the sale of alcohol throughout the night during New Year’s Eve on the southern island have been scrapped. Governor Narong Woonciew had recently issued an order confirming that the sale of alcohol would be extended from 11pm on December 31 until 6am on January 1. However, a notice posted last night…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Registration closes for Test & Go and Sandbox, except Phuket
Registration is closing today for travellers wishing to enter Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption programme and the Sandbox entry scheme, with the exception of Phuket. In an urgent meeting this afternoon, chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration decided to stop accepting new tourists under the entry schemes starting at midnight. The government…
- Tourism News
Tourism operators express frustration over rumours Test & Go may be dropped
Thailand’s tourism operators have expressed frustration and concern over the possibility that the Test & Go entry scheme could be scrapped. However, Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand has rushed to reassure them, pointing out that nothing has been decided yet and that all viewpoints will be taken into consideration. “We still have to hear from the CCSA…
- Tourism News
Thailand expected to review list of countries eligible for “Test & Go” scheme
The Thai government is expected to review the list of countries eligible for the Test & Go entry scheme, as concerns over the Omicron variant mount. Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says Covid-19 screening will be intensified and the list of eligible countries will be revised. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA is expected to identify a number…
- Thailand News
Thai officials to review list of low risk countries, possibly ban travellers from high risk
In addition to discussing whether to cancel the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme due to the uptick in Omicron cases, the Thai government will also review its list of countries considered to be at low risk for Covid-19 and consider whether to ban travellers from high risk countries. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told Thai media today that the…
- Covid-19 News
First local Omicron case, officials consider cancelling quarantine exemption Test & Go
Thailand’s first local transmission of the Omicron variant was reported today by public health officials. The confirmed case comes as the government considers cancelling the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme due to increasing reports of Omicron cases involving those arriving in Thailand from overseas. So far, health officials have reported more than 60 imported Omicron cases. The first local…
- Covid-19 News
TAC explains what happens if a tourist or child gets Covid-19
One question that has frequently come up, and scared people from coming to Thailand in the age of Covid-19, is that of what happens if you test positive for the virus when you land in the country. An official with the Phuket Tourist Assistance Centre recently laid out the procedure for a tourist – or a child – who test…
- Thailand News
Thailand to reopen Malaysian border crossings under Test & Go in mid-January
Thailand’s land crossings along the Malaysian border will reopen in mid-January under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme for fully vaccinated travellers. At its general meeting yesterday, the CCSA approved a measure to set up Test & Go checkpoints at the land crossings in the provinces bordering Malaysia including Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun. Under the Test & Go scheme,…
- Tourism News
Tourism in Thailand is slowly returning, still a long road ahead
Though the government’s expected flood of tourists entering Thailand since the reopening 2 weeks ago has been closer to a trickle, businesses are seeing a bit of an uptick in tourism. Still, they are calling on the government to loosen Covid-19 restrictions and asking for federal financial programs to be extended and expanded to help speed recovery. The president of…
- Tourism News
First 10 days: 30,000 arrivals; 147,000 Thailand Pass applicants
The Tourism Authority of Thailand totalled up some data for the first 10 days of Thailand’s reopening, with over 30,000 arrivals so far and nearly 150,000 applications submitted for the Thailand Pass to gain entry to the country. The TAT’s report states that the combined total of international travellers arriving at all of Thailand’s international airports – both Bangkok airports,…
- Thailand News
Thailand now equipped to perform 120,000 RT-PCR tests daily
The Department of Medical Sciences has been ramping up their testing capabilities and have declared it can now perform 120,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 tests per day. They say it can complete the tests and offer results within 24 hours at any of their 443 active labs that are certified to conduct the tests. Anyone travelling to Thailand is already required to…
- Tourism News
Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…
- Tourism News
17 more countries added to (almost) no quarantine list in Thailand
Late last night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced an amendment to the list of countries that can enter Thailand without quarantine starting tomorrow, adding 17 new countries to the list of 46 countries and territories. (But even fully vaccinated travellers will have to spend one night in an SHA+ or ASQ hotel as they wait for their test result).…
- Tourism News
Entry requirements for international arrivals starting November 1
The Thailand Pass is set to launch in 5 days, aiming to ease the process to get approval to enter Thailand. The entry requirements for international travellers still require some hoops, but the government hopes this streamlining will help welcome back much-needed tourism to the country. The website for the Thailand Pass has been created at tp.consular.go.th but it is…
- Tourism News
Full details on the 3 ways to travel to Thailand from November 1
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a summary of the new plans to reopen Thailand to allow international tourists to travel on November 1. Thailand will reopen without quarantine for fully vaccinated people travelling from 46 approved countries, who will only have to take a Covid-19 test on arrival and wait in an approved hotel for the results. Those…
