First batch of tourists land in Phuket despite Covid-19 surge

Passengers from an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi arrive at Phuket International Airport in Phuket on July 1, 2021. - AFP

PHUKET (AFP): The first international travellers touched down Thursday (July 1) in the holiday hotspot of Phuket under a quarantine-free scheme, as Thailand tries to reboot its battered tourism industry while also enduring its worst coronavirus outbreak.

Tourism makes up almost a fifth of the Thai economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic has led to its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis.