Thailand is set to fully reopen with the Test and Go scheme and Thailand Pass registration are expected to be scrapped by June 1 if there is no surge in infections or fatalities during the Songkran festival in April, says the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
Thailand’s tourism minister says if there’s no surge in Covid cases following next month’s Songkran holiday, entry restrictions could be eased. The Test & Go and Thailand Pass could be scrapped from June 1, if there’s no spike in Covid cases or deaths after the Thai New Year holiday.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Thai tourism has to move forward after opening the Phuket sandbox in July 2021. Phiphat is anxious for the country to move forward with re-opening, saying it risks getting left behind as neighboring countries lift their entry restrictions.
Addressing the Association of Thai Travel Agents at its annual general meeting, Phiphat stressed the need for the government to work with tourism operators to ease travel restrictions further and attract more overseas visitors. The target for this year is 7 million foreign arrivals, according to the tourism minister. This has been decreased from 10 million due to the surge in Omicron cases and the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
With the requirement for a pre-departure PCR test dropped from April 1, Phiphat says restrictions are expected to be eased further from May 1, when the PCR test on arrival could be replaced by an antigen test. However, any easing of entry restrictions is contingent on the country’s caseload following the Songkran holidays.
According to the minister, the number of daily new cases in April, including those detected via antigen tests, should not exceed 50,000 – 60,000. Covid-related deaths should remain below 100. At this point, the tourism ministry would submit a proposal to the CCSA in May, to cancel Test & Go and the Thailand Pass from June 1.
The minister says once the country re-opens fully, a PCR test on arrival should not be required. However, he believes an antigen test on arrival will still be necessary to maintain public confidence in the country’s re-opening. Phiphat says the proposals from his ministry still require the approval of the Public Health Ministry.
Tourism revenue could reach 30% of levels recorded in 2019 this year, before improving to 50% next year and fully recovering by 2024, said Mr Phiphat.
He said the country needs to improve its ranking in the safety index. Thailand ranked poorly at 111 out of 140 countries in the 2019 Tourism Competitiveness Index, said Mr Phiphat.
Thailand aims to rise to 100 in the next index, he said.