Tourism sandbox will expand to two more beach provinces

The government will expand Thailand’s tourism sandbox in August to include two more provinces known for their spectacular beach resorts following the success of the initial sandboxes in Phuket and Koh Samui.

The sandboxes allow vaccinated tourists to visit the designated areas without needing to quarantine. Tens of thousands of visitors from overseas have already arrived in or visited Phuket since it launched the first sandbox in the Kingdom on July 1.

The two additional provinces that will participate in the sandbox are Phang Nga and Krabi. Both border the Andaman Sea and boast white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and a range of luxurious and affordable resorts. Phang Nga is just north of Phuket and shares a border with Krabi.

Tourism is a crucial sector of Thailand’s economy, and the Kingdom has been one of the most popular and successful tourism destinations in Asia for decades, drawing millions of visitors every year from every corner of the world.

At present, certain airlines are permitted to operate semi-commercial flights to Thailand. The proposal that was approved in principle seeks to allow tourists visiting under the Phuket Sandbox programme to extend their trip on a 7+7 basis. That is, they could stay in Phuket for 7 days and then visit another of the pilot destinations in which Thailand is reopening to tourism for at least 7 days, effective from 1 August, 2021. The other pilot destinations proposed are Surat Thani (Samui, Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao), Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai, and Railay Beach), and Phang Nga (Khao Lak and Ko Yao).

Visit https://www.tatnews.org/2021/07/phuket-sandbox-faqs/ for more detail on Phuket Sandbox and beyond.

Thailand has been experimenting with tourism sandboxes as a means of re-opening at least some parts of the country to visitors while exercising care and caution.

Photo courtesy of: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/07/