[Newspaper, January 8]The Thai government suddenly announced the tightening of inbound travel measures—requiring immigrants to be vaccinated with two doses of vaccines, which sparked heated discussions among tourism industry players, who complained about the retrogression of government policies, and sent a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Prayut requesting a review. China’s lifting of quarantine measures is expected to bring a large number of Chinese tourists back, but it is not difficult to see concerns about the outbreak of the epidemic from the actions of the Thai authorities.
Thailand still appears to have some health and safety concerns about welcoming the return of Chinese tourists. At least it can be seen from the government’s sudden announcement that it will require two doses of vaccines for people entering the country. This runs counter to the words of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, and disease control experts in Thailand.
After being informed of the measure, Phuket tourism operators reacted quickly. In addition to putting pressure on the Minister of Tourism, they are also preparing to write to Prime Minister Prayuth Prayuth to request that the decision be revoked immediately. Thailand will welcome its first batch of Chinese tourists on Monday after China announced the abolition of quarantine regulations for inbound personnel. The government’s approach is undoubtedly tightening epidemic prevention measures and setting Thailand’s tourism back.
When the Thai government released the new epidemic prevention policy, it should be adjusted in advance at the same time or at the same time, instead of suddenly announcing strict epidemic prevention measures and requiring two doses of vaccines for immigrants. Thailand has declared the new coronavirus an endemic disease and removed the requirement to provide vaccinations.
It is not yet certain whether it will affect tourists who have previously purchased the itinerary, and whether some of them will be refused entry if they cannot provide proof of vaccination. It is reported that 15 Chinese airlines have requested to resume flights, and the cities involved include Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Wuhan, Shanghai, Nanning, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Tianjin and Xiamen.
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