Thailand Ends Travel Restrictions for Dozens of Countries

One of the world’s most popular travel destinations in Southeast Asia is reopening for international tourism! Thailand has ended the mandatory quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers from an approved list of more than 60 countries. The country is also opening up to locals as Thailand also ended curfews in some areas. The updates takes effect today and is expected to provide an immediate boost of tourism dollars to the Thai economy. 

The list of countries on the approved list includes America, China, Australia, Canada, India and most of Europe. Thailand has not announced when or if countries could be added or removed from the list.

The new travel rules are a little tricky, however. Vaccinated travelers have to have stayed a minimum of 21 days in one of the 63 countries on the approved “low risk” list. Upon arrival in Thailand, visitors need to take a COVID-19 test and spend one night in a government hotel while awaiting results. Unvaccinated travelers still must complete a mandatory 10-day quarantine before they are allowed to tour the country. These rules apply to everyone over the age of twelve. 

Those traveling to Thailand must also have insurance for no less than $50,000 to cover potential COVID-19 travel interruption. 

Thailand Looks to Entice Holiday Travelers 

The timing of the new travel rules was a key component according to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ch. 

“We must act quickly but still cautiously and not miss the opportunity to entice some of the year-end and New Year holiday season travelers… to support the many millions of people who earn a living from our tourism,” the Prime Minister said.

Back in June, Thailand began a new kind of travel program which allowed fully vaccinated travelers to visit the country with restrictions so long as they stayed in the popular Phuket region for the first 14 days in-country. From there guests were free to explore the rest of the country so long as they followed all the COVID-19 protocols like masks and distancing.