07 Jun, 2021
The Tourism and Sports Ministry aims to lure both fully vaccinated foreigners and local travelers to Phuket, to help boost confidence and shore up tourism demand, as part of its ‘sandbox’ model.
Minister Phlipat Ratchakitprakarn said the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Thai Chamber of Commerce this month to support domestic trips to Phuket, which could build local confidence.
He said chamber members can start taking trips from July 1, as part of the scheme to help reassure both vaccinated foreigners and Thais that they can safely travel to Phuket. In terms of pending domestic stimuli, the ministry has to wait for progress on inoculations in June and July before re-launching tourism subsidies in August.
The minister said, after the Phuket ‘sandbox’ scheme receives approval from the Center for Economic Situation Administration, it is halfway to receiving full official endorsement. Once the Phuket “sandbox” agenda is published in the Royal Gazette, the government has guaranteed the plan will go ahead as scheduled. (NNT)
