Thailand Allows Quarantine-Free Entry for 63 Countries... Opens Doors Amid Tourism Revenue Hit

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Thai government announced that starting from the 1st, it will allow entry without quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers from 63 countries, including South Korea. As countries continue to lift travel restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals, concerns are rising within Thailand, where the vaccination rate remains low.

According to local media such as the Bangkok Post on the 1st, the Thai government declared that from this day forward, travelers from 63 countries including South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations and possess a negative COVID-19 test certificate will be exempt from quarantine upon entry. Upon arrival in Thailand, travelers must stay at a hotel and undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test; if the result is negative, they can move freely without quarantine.

Although Thailand’s full vaccination rate is only about 43%, far from achieving herd immunity, Thai authorities are believed to have taken this measure as a desperate effort to revitalize the country’s main industry, tourism. Thailand’s tourism industry is known to account for nearly 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), both directly and indirectly.

Before the COVID-19 crisis in 2019, Thailand attracted approximately 40 million tourists, but this number plummeted to about 6.7 million last year. Consequently, the economic growth rate last year recorded -6.1% compared to the previous year, marking the worst contraction since the 1998 financial crisis (-7.6%).

However, concerns about a resurgence of COVID-19 are growing. According to a report by the local media The Nation, a recent survey conducted by Bangkok University involving 1,173 people nationwide found that 51.1% of respondents expect the reopening to improve Thailand’s economy, but about 72% expressed serious concern that reopening will lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.