Would you pick up the chance of traveling instead of quarantining?
By: Claire 11.1
After the pandemic, it has become the new normal to quarantine when traveling to other countries. Although this includes Thailand, there is a way not to quarantine when we enter the nation. On the 1st of July 2021, a program called ‘The Phuket Sandbox’ was established, drawing the attention of many tourists around the world interested to enter the scenic country. The sandbox program is a recent model that allows tourists who are fully vaccinated to enter Thailand without the need to quarantine. Phuket is the first province within the country to implement the use of this design. Tourists visiting Thailand can travel within Phuket's ‘blue zone’, which is a province where more than 70% of people are vaccinated, not just in hotels.
Who can be involved in the sandbox program? There are several regulations for entering Phuket, and people can only enjoy the program if they meet these regulations. In this, tourists must have tested negative in the RT-PCR test for COVID-19, 72 hours before entering Thailand, individuals aged 18 or older must have tested at least 14 days in advance, and children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian who has been fully vaccinated. The hotels they can stay in are also limited. Though the tourists are allowed to go anywhere in Phuket, they must stay at the reserved SHA Plus Hotel during the night. They are also to inform their hotel manager everyday whether they are going out before doing so. Tourists who have been tested negative at RT-PCR on the 7th day are then free to travel all over Thailand on the day after.
The advantage of the Sandbox program is that other people in Thailand are permitted to visit those in their seven night stay, However, this rule only allows people who have been fully vaccinated or reside in Bangkok. If they comply with Phuket’s entry requirements for domestic travelers (such as the RT-PCR tests) before traveling to Phuket, they can fully enjoy meeting the tourists inside of the Sandbox. According to those who have been through and have experienced this program, the quarantine hotels were cheaper in Phuket were cheaper compared to those in the other cities in Thailand. This allowed them to be able to enjoy the travel despite the extra costs. In addition to this, the advantage of being able to return to their home country at any point during the seven nights of quarantine made the trip possible for many people who wished to enter Phuket for a vacation. Though this had many positive reviews from travelers, doctors expected that more infections were to occur in Thailand because of the Sandbox and had warned that people must be cautious to prevent a large increase in COVID-19 cases. Experts have also added that it is too early to open Thailand to foreign tourists because vaccines cannot yet protect against all the virus strains.
It is not surprising to find an increase in the tourists and the revenue in Thailand since the Sandbox program. Removing mandatory quarantine and allowing freedom of the tour has worked as a significant incentive for people to consider traveling to Phuket. The Sandbox program attracted 331,365 tourists from the beginning of the program and generated more than 43 billion baht revenue. Thailand, where the tourism industry accounts for 20% of its gross domestic product (GDP), has been able to recover the income it had significantly lost since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Sandbox program truly has some regulations, yet it allows tourists to travel freely without restricting them from staying only at hotels. It is also expected to reduce the burden on Thai travelers. Taking a step further, the Sandbox program will allow us to get closer to our ordinary lives where we can travel anywhere without any regulations.
コメント