Vaccinated tourists will be able to visit Phuket for ‘One Night, One Dollar’

After having closed its borders to most international travellers for over a year, Thailand is on track for a partial reopening to fully vaccinated international visitors from 1 July.

PHUKET READY FOR REOPENING

Bloomberg reported in March that the Thai government had implemented plans to ensure the vaccination of at least 70 percent of Phuket’s local population, thus achieving herd immunity on the island before the July reopening.

The ever-popular resort island of Phuket is slated to reopen to fully vaccinated international visitors from 1 July, three months ahead of the rest of the country’s planned reopening.

Fully vaccinated visitors will not be required to undergo quarantine when travelling to Phuket.

PHUKET HOTELS FOR $1 A NIGHT  

The Thai economy earned 20 % of its GDP through its tourism industry prior to the onset of the pandemic. The country’s lengthy border closures have severely impacted the livelihoods of locals who are heavily reliant on tourism dollars for their income.

To draw international tourists back to the Land of Smiles, the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has proposed a “One Night, One Dollar” campaign. The promotion would see participating hotels and accommodation establishments offering room rates of $1 (under R14) per night to foreign guests.

STIMULATING PHUKET’S TOURISM SECTOR

According to Travelpulse, TCT’S president Chamnan Srisawat states that the 70 000 rooms which are available on the island could provide up to one million room nights for the month of July.  Even at $1 per room per night, the initiative could potentially generate a huge flow of much-needed income for Phuket’s local economy.

Srisawat told TTG Asia that the cost of this campaign would be subsidized by the Thai government if the plan gets the go-ahead.  The scheme has been submitted to both the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and will be up for discussion in June.

OTHER PARTS OF THAILAND

While the rest of Thailand may only reopen in October, if Phuket’s “One Night, One Dollar” promotion is successful in attracting visitors to travel to Thailand, the campaign might be extended to other parts of the country.

Travelpulse reports that the Thai government and private-sector may look to implement this strategy in other popular tourism areas including Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Samui.

EVER-POPULAR THAILAND IS CALLING

This is good news for South Africans as our local currency has strengthened somewhat against the USD this year. South Africa’s vaccination campaign is also picking up pace. Therefore, a getaway to exotic Thailand may be on the cards for many travel-starved South Africans.

There have been no direct services between South Africa and Thailand for several years as Thai Airways discontinued its flights between the two countries a number of years ago. The quickest way to travel to Phuket is with Singapore Airlines, which has now begun to accept South African nationals on its flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town.