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Travelling to Thailand? Entry rules relaxed for tourists as Russia-Ukraine war hits arrival
- Thailand's main Covid task force will consider on Friday a Health Ministry proposal to waive the RT-PCR test requirement before traveling to Thailand
- The ministry is also seeking to lower the minimum medical insurance need to $10,000 from $20,000
As the world slides back into another crisis with Russian military offensive in Ukraine that has put the security understanding of Europe in jeopardy, Thailand has proposed waiving off the mandatory pre-arrival Covid-free certificate for vaccinated tourists.
Move comes as the the southeast Asian country known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha aims to support an economic recovery which is facing headwinds from the pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thailand's main Covid task force will consider on Friday a Health Ministry proposal to waive the RT-PCR test requirement before traveling to Thailand, according to Permanent Secretary of Public Health Kiattiphum Wongrajit.
Calling the visa rules “cumbersome”, the Thai tourism industry has sought free entry for inoculated travelers to draw more visitors. The ministry is also sought to lower the minimum medical insurance need to $10,000 from $20,000, he said.
Travelers will still need to undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival and a self-administered rapid antigen test on day five, Kiattiphum said.
Thailand has been battling a omicron-fueled Covid wave. Owing to that, the government had made it mandatory for vaccinated visitors to pre-book a hotel and an RT-PCR test before applying for a visa. They were also required to posses a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding a flight.
The return of tourists in large numbers is key to sustaining a nascent economic revival after the sector in 2019 attracted 40 million foreign visitors and generated more than $60 billion in revenue.
Russian tourist arrivals this year are seen 50% below an earlier forecast of 500,000 due to the travel disruptions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
“We will propose further easing of travel requirements this Friday as the Covid-19 situation is moving in line with our assumption, which predicts new cases to start slowing down from mid-March,” Kiattiphum told reporters.
The Covid task force will also deliberate a road-map for classifying the pandemic as endemic from July, Kiattiphum said, adding it may also waive mask mandate in some places such as public parks. A national state of emergency to handle the pandemic may no longer be required once the outbreak is classified as endemic, he said.
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Business NewsNewsWorldTravelling to Thailand? Entry rules relaxed for tourists as Russia-Ukraine war hits arrival
First Published:16 Mar 2022, 03:41 PM IST
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