Vaccinated tourists are now allowed in to Thailand for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic struck, paving the way for Brits to spend their holidays in the country once again.
November 1 marks the first day of the new Thai rules, which say travellers from 63 countries - including the UK - are allowed in, as long as they fulfil certain criteria.
Travellers must provide proof of all of the following:
- Full vaccination against Covid-19, with vaccine course completed at least two weeks before travelling. The country will also accept proof of one vaccine dose and natural immunity from infection within the last three months. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from this requirement
- Negative PCR test within the 72 hours before travelling
A booking for a second PCR test to be taken on arrival in Thailand
- A booking for one night's quarantine in an approved hotel
- Travel insurance covering at least US $50,000 (approximately £36,500) of costs
November 1 is also the first day where no countries are currently on the UK's red list for travel. Thailand was already on the combined green/amber list, however.
Thailand has enforced famously strict Covid rules since early in the pandemic. Doing so has helped it keep deaths from Covid-19 to as low as 19,260 in total, compared with 140,558 in the UK, whose population is roughly equal in number to that of Thailand.
It is hoped the new relaxation of rules will help to keep Thailand's Covid cases low while allowing the hospitality and tourism industries to recover. The country lost some $50 billion in revenue last year due to the demise of tourism amid the pandemic.
Approximately 9,000 new cases are being reported in Thailand each day. Around 41% of the population is fully vaccinated.
What do you think? Sign in and join the conversations in the comments below
