Thailand offered tourists to spend quarantine in a number of its luxurious resorts. However, a bare fraction of the expected travelers did show up.
According to Thailand Longstay Company, only 346 overseas visitors with Special Tourist Visas (STV) have entered the country on average each month since the country fully reopened. The number is way below the government’s target, which they had set to 1,200 travelers.
In October 2020, Thailand launched the long-stay STV visa to help their tourism industry recover. To be part of the program applicants must present a valid passport, confirmation of accommodation, and proof of medical and travel insurance.
They also need to quarantine for fourteen days in accredited hotels in Bangkok, Chonburi, or Prachinburi after arrival. Those are called ASQs (Alternative State Quarantine hotels) and ALQs (Alternative Local Quarantine hotels).
Besides, the government has approved six golf resorts as quarantine facilities. Travelers can move around freely across those properties and participate in activities such as playing golf during their stay.
STV applicants must present confirmation of the quarantine accommodation of their choice with proof of payment in their COE (Certificate of Entry).
All incomers must also submit a negative COVID-19 PCR test no older than 72 hours before boarding a flight to Thailand.
After that, they can enjoy up to 9 consecutive months in the country.
In November 2020, the Association of Thai Travel Agents submitted a proposal to create a travel bubble with parts of China where there was no Coronavirus incidence for at least sixty days.
Ultimately, such a program was not approved given that Thailand fears COVID-19 resurgence.
Instead, the Coronavirus Task Force agreed to discuss shortening the quarantine period to ten days, which is yet to be confirmed.
Thailand has been one of the countries with the least COVID-19 infections because of its strict lockdown measurements.
As a result, government officials indicated that the country is not planning to reopen without any restrictions soon. Not at least until vaccines are broadly available.
Thailand is set to start the vaccination process in February, with priority given to frontline health workers and patients with underlying conditions.
So far, the country has reported 12,594 cases and 70 deaths. At the moment, there are 3,147 active cases.
