Thailand Travel Restrictions Almost Gone
*Update: All restrictions and entry requirements for vaccinated travelers have been lifted as has wearing masks outdoors
Thailand was one of the first countries to begin lifting travel restrictions. Since the initial opening phase back in July 2021, Thailand has somewhat dragged its feet, allowing other countries to gain a upper hand in the tourist markets. Economic pressure from within finally seems to have won through and all restrictions are expected to be lifted by July 2022.
To be fair, at the moment the only pain seems to be the Thailand pass. It will be streamlined from June 01st and the process is expected to be quick and simple. A QR code that acts as confirmation should take minutes or hours rather than the days or weeks that some are experiencing now.
Testing pre or post flight is no longer required. If you do exhibit symptoms then you simply have to take a cheap rapid antigen test and if positive report to authorities or not… The threat of a forced quarantine stay in a hospital or hotel is no longer a factor. If you haven’t got severe symptoms then you can quarantine at your accommodation.
The Thailand Pass
We’re not going to go in great detail simply because it’s expected to be binned in July. For the moment, the last remaining Thailand Travel restriction simply requires uploading vaccination certificates, flight details and insurance. The insurance must cover the length of your stay and have at least US$ 10,000 coverage. For Thai nationals the Thailand pass is no longer required. You can access the official Thailand Pass website here.
The Final Hurdle
Masks have been a bone of contention throughout the covid crisis in Thailand. At the moment it’s still mandatory to wear a mask at all times. Fair enough if you’re in a crowded area but ridiculous on beaches or just walking down the street. Most of the visitors who’ve already made their way to Thailand don’t really bother. It has caused issues amongst the locals mainly because of the unnecessary hysteria whipped up by the health minister. That seems to have very much calmed down now, the locals or more importantly the police don’t appear to be to overly bothered.
Not an absolute just yet but it looks like form June 15th mask wearing won’t be mandatory in outside areas*. A surprising amount of people have listed mask wearing as a reason they won’t visit Thailand. So hopefully with this final hurdle knocked down we can see tourists return in the numbers that are desperately required by the tourist industry.
*Update: All restrictions have now been lifted!
Thailand High Season 2022/3
We’re expecting big things. Whether by luck or judgement we’ve been fortunate enough to be able to operate throughout most of the last two years but by no means has it been a easy ride and certainly not a money making one. We’ve certainly learnt a thing or two. The main one is guest capacity, at first covid restrictions forced numbers to be very low. Levels that weren’t sustainable for our diving day trip business. We now think we’ve found a happy medium, guests have plenty of space and we can earn enough to keep our company ticking over nicely.
We honestly recommend booking as early as possible for both PADI courses, day trips and liveaboards. Demand will be high but suppliers may be low.
Contact Us Now For the 2022/23 High Season
By Justin Hartrey
Posted in News & Updates on .
