In an attempt at reviving its tourism sector, Thailand has permitted visa-free travel to fifty-six countries across the world. This comes at a time when increasing coronavirus rates seem to be defining the current scenario.
According to reports, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Principality of Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Peru, Hong Kong, and Vietnam fall under the scheme&rsquos purview.
Despite the relaxation of travel-related obligations, passengers from the aforementioned countries are expected to provide a negative COVID-19 test result 72 hours prior to their flight, and conform to quarantine measures in Alternative State Quarantine hotels in Thailand for a period of two weeks.
Additionally, travellers are supposed to undergo three tests during isolation, as opposed to the usual two. According to Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, more testing could possibly lead to shorter quarantine periods in the future.
Thailand&rsquos borders have remained shut for a major part of 2020. In a bid to compensate for the losses the pandemic-riddled year effected upon its economy, it decided to grant visa-free access to select countries across the globe. &ldquoThe entry of tourists will stimulate the economy,&rdquo said a foreign ministry spokesperson, according to Reuters. &ldquoWe are confident in the Thai public health system, before this we were not sure, but now we are confident in the system.&rdquo
People who are ineligible for visa-free travel will have to apply for a 90-day special tourism visa, and a certificate of entry.
