60,000-plus travellers sign up for Thailand Pass in first four days of Feb
More than 60,000 people have registered for Thailand Pass to enter the country under the “Test & Go” scheme since registrations reopened on Tuesday.
“This suggests that the demand for Thailand is still high despite the criteria of the Test & Go scheme being adjusted to suit the changing situation,” Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Thursday.
“However, the number of people who actually enter Thailand this month is likely to be 20 to 30 per cent of Thailand Pass registrants, as they have up to 60 days after approval to enter the country.”
The Test & Go scheme was suspended in late December to curb the spread of Omicron and was reopened this month after some adjustments.
Under the new Test & Go scheme, travellers are required to book and pay for accommodation and RT-PCR tests on their first and fifth days in Thailand. Previously, travellers arriving under Test & Go were only required to spend one night in hotel and pay for one RT-PCR test.
Foreign travellers are also required to have insurance with a coverage of no less than US$50,000. If the insurance does not cover the cost of isolation after the traveller is infected or is at high risk of infection, then the traveller must cover the cost of isolation themselves.
Yuthasak added that the highest number of Thailand Pass registrations came from Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. “We are seeing fewer travellers from Asian countries as many of these countries are still employing mandatory quarantine rules for returnees from countries that have an ongoing outbreak of Omicron variant, including Thailand,” he added.