"Phuket Sandbox"

Phuket’s local authorities and marine department have now announced sandbox visitors are no longer restricted to the use of public piers for their tour departures.

Thailand’s tourism sandbox schemes have attracted 38,699 foreign tourists as of September 30 – three months since the first scheme was launched on July 1 in Phuket, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Saturday.

From tomorrow (October 1), foreign tourists in the “Phuket sandbox” will only have to spend one week on the island before they can travel to other provinces in Thailand. The sandbox period was reduced from 14 days in a bid to lure more tourists after a lukewarm response in the first three months.

Nearly three months ago, Thailand launched its pilot programme to reopen selected destinations to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine.

Koh Phayam in Ranong province will be included in the Andaman Sandbox scheme after Phang Nga and Krabi provinces under expansion of the Phuket Sandbox programme. Meanwhile, the opening of Bangkok on October 15 will require consideration from all parties, the Commerce Ministry said on Saturday.

Koh Phayam in Ranong province looks set to be the next Thai destination reopened to vaccinated foreign travellers under the Phuket sandbox scheme.

Thailand is not ready to reopen the country on October 1 as the Covid-19 vaccination rate has not yet reached a safe level, Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, Siriraj Hospital’s dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said on Wednesday, suggesting that the reopening be postponed to November 1.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced on Wednesday that of the 32,005 travellers under the Phuket Sandbox scheme, only 91 or 0.28 per cent have tested positive so far.

Phuket authorities announced on Wednesday that the ongoing Covid situation should be resolved within two weeks and the Phuket Sandbox scheme will continue uninterrupted.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported that 27,000 international tourists have visited Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox, Samui Plus, and 7+7 Extension programmes launched on July 1, July 15 and August 16 respectively.

The Phuket "sandbox" tourism programme generated THB3.81 billion circulating funds to the economic system, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said on Saturday.

Tourism entrepreneurs in Phuket have suggested to authorities to arrange the third dose of Covid-19 vaccine for locals, as new cases are still being found in the province, and this factor could affect tourism.