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In a regular year, hordes of tourists by the millions descend on the beaches, markets and islands of Thailand in search of sun, scenery and some sort of spiritual awakening. This year and the one that preceded it, however, are not regular years, and now Thailand finds itself devoid of the tourists that keep so many people employed.
However, the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme concocted by the Thai government offers hope for those in the tourism trade, and the first wave of tourists entering as part of the scheme landed in Thailand today. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
Phuket Sandbox – Information For Travelers
At several points over the past few weeks, serious doubts of whether the sandbox scheme would even go ahead had arisen, following a back-and-forth between the government and those in charge in Phuket about the finer details of the plan. However, with the 1st of July now upon us, Phuket got it together in the end and welcomed its first sandbox travelers today.
Travelers from 67 different countries are permitted to enter under the sandbox scheme, including the USA, the UK and Canada. They must obtain a Certificate of Entry, as well as a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before travel, and an insurance policy that covers treatment for Covid-19 with coverage worth no less than $100,000. On top of this, travelers must also provide payment confirmation for no less than 14 nights stay and PCR tests at hotels approved by the Thai government.
Once travelers arrive in Phuket, they must take a Covid-19 test and download an alert application, after which they must stay on the island for 14 days. Once the 14 days are up, they are free to travel out of the province and around Thailand as they please. However, travelers should be aware that the Covid-19 situation in the country means that some areas, such as Bangkok are experiencing more severe restrictions, such as in-house dining in restaurants being banned for the time being.
Phuket’s First Arrivals
A plane landed in Phuket today carrying the first sandbox passengers of the scheme, and it was greeted by a water tunnel provided by two fire trucks on the runway to celebrate its arrival. Flight EY430 arrived in Phuket from Abu Dhabi at 10:20 AM and was carrying 25 tourists, who touched down and went through the necessary entrance procedures before being free to explore the island.
Three more flights are scheduled to be touching down in Phuket carrying sandbox passengers. A flight from Qatar will bring 136 passengers, a flight from Israel will see 137 passengers land on the island whilst an airplane from close neighbors Singapore will being a further 100 sandbox guests.
Whilst the initial numbers may appear to be on the low side, they are expected to rise. According to a spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tanee Sangrat, 6,020 travelers have registered for Phuket Sandbox. Of the 6,020, a total of 3,034 vaccine certificates have been approved, and 1,379 Certificates of Entry (COE) have been issued. For July 1st, 323 COEs have been issued, whilst the 2nd and 3rd of July have seen 471 and 279 COEs issued respectively. There are 4,262 applications currently being processed. Given the sandbox has now launched without a hitch, the number of applicants could rise in the next few weeks, whilst the country is also hoping to fully reopen in the coming months.
Read More:
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Jim
Sunday 4th of July 2021
No thanks!
Tony Oostendarp
Friday 2nd of July 2021
Too much of a pain to travel.Too many requirements.Too many restrictions.Will wait to travel abroad even if i have to wait a couple more years.
garrytravel
Friday 2nd of July 2021
Phuket has crap, dirty beaches in general, overbuilt and not entirely clean cities. Even without the 14 day hotel stay, the insurance, and tests, you would have to pay me to go back to Patong. Honestly, Mexico is better. Phuket is only good as a low cost destination for Europeans and Russians escaping the winter. Now that tourists have broken free of Thailand for winter habits, I doubt if they will come back except if it was super easy, no hoops, and extra advertised.
whocares
Thursday 1st of July 2021
Let's see what Thailand does during the WINTER. Who wants to go to Phuket right now in Northern Hemisphere SUMMER? Lots of rain / much less sun right now in Phuket. Yet, WINTER is when cases/deaths will spike again in USA, Europe, etc...
And requiring a stay of 14 days? No thanks.
Mohammad Aziz
Thursday 1st of July 2021
So we have to have a 14 day confirmed booking to come to Phuket? How about fully vaccinated travellers do they have to stay in Phuket for 14 days?
EdwardV
Thursday 1st of July 2021
@Mohammad Aziz, Yes fully vaccinated tourists must stay all 14 days in Phuket. If you are not fully vaccinated, you are not allow to come to Phuket at all. You are allowed to change hotels twice. However the first seven nights must be at the same hotel and all 14 nights must be paid in advance. Keep in mind, if your flight arrives after 6:00pm, your clock starts the follow day. The COE (certificate of entry) is obtained from your local Thai embassy. Check the embassy website for all the requirements and links to things like the hotels. You must book through that link. If not, your COE application will be rejected and you will need to start over.