Thailand gets ready for more tourists as it fully reopens on June 1

TUESDAY, May 31, 2022

THE NATION

The Transport Ministry has ordered related organisations to get ready for a surge in daily arrivals once the country reopens fully on Wednesday.

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob was at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday to check its readiness. He said all arrivals will be screened strictly by measuring temperatures, screening symptoms, checking documents and ATK tests for passengers who are not fully vaccinated, do not provide test results or fail the screening.

Passengers who pass the screening can enter Thailand normally, while those who fail will have to follow the Public Health Ministry’s measures.

From June 1 (Wednesday), policies for entering Thailand will ease. Under the new regulations, Thai travellers do not have to register for Thailand Pass, but foreigners will still be required to register. However, the process will require fewer documents.

Saksayam said he expects the number of passengers and flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport to rise gradually. He believes Thailand will see 22 million arrivals this year because the number of tickets reserved in the fourth quarter jumped to 50 per cent of the pre-Covid level.

He also said the number of daily arrivals in June should rise by 17 per cent or 70,000 persons from 64,000 per day in May. Of the arrivals, 57 per cent are expected to be foreigners and 43 per cent locals.

Meanwhile, he expects the number of daily flights to rise from 440 in May to 500 in June, with 55 per cent of them being international flights and the rest domestic flights.

Saksayam said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered related organisations to ensure passengers do not remove their masks to prevent the spreading of Covid-19. He has also ordered the preparation of public transport from the airport to ensure tourists’ convenience and comfort.

Saksayam said providing convenience will attract more tourists and help boost the Thai economy.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) on Saturday issued airlines with a special Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on the country’s latest entry policy, reflecting the cancellation of the Thailand Pass system for returning Thai nationals from Wednesday, June 1.

Moreover, the International Communicable Disease Control is strictly screening for patients with monkeypox and has a procedure when it finds people who could be infected.