PROPOSED – ‘PIPELINE’ BETWEEN LOW-RISK FOREIGN TOURISTS AND SAFER THAI DESTINATIONS

Thai authorities are mulling over waiving quarantine requirements for selected foreign travellers when the ban on incoming commercial flights are lifted, by matching tourists from low-risk countries with low-risk destinations within the kingdom.

“This concept involves identifying low-risk areas in Thailand and overseas to create a sort of international tourist bridge or pipeline linking travellers between these two areas,” the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) deputy governor for international marketing Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya told The Straits Times.

Incoming commercial flights have been banned till the end of June, and passengers arriving from high-risk countries on other flights such as state, military, humanitarian and cargo flights are subject to a 14-day quarantine.

“There will be hygiene and travel measures to be agreed upon by both the sender country and the receiver country, the entry formalities to facilitate such kind of travel and identifying which type of travellers we would target for this scheme,” said Chattan.

Islands and “compact” tourist areas within Thailand will be picked initially for this proposed scheme as they are easier to manage, he said.

“Tourists would be free to travel within those areas for a specified period.”

The tourism authority also plans to promote Thailand to health-conscious travellers.

Read the full article at TheStar: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/05/21/proposed—039pipeline039-between-low-risk-foreign-tourists-and-safer-thai-destinations

#postCOVID19, #recoveryplan, #Thailand

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