Thailand opens three more regions to tourists amid Covid-19 spikes

Tourists visiting Maya Bay in Krabi, Thailand, on Jan 3, 2022. - Reuters

BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thailand added three popular beach destinations to a visa programme that allows foreign visitors to bypass a mandatory isolation, throwing a lifeline to its Covid-hit tourism industry seen as key to a nascent economic recovery.

Starting Tuesday (Jan 11), vaccinated foreign tourists can enter Krabi, Phang Nga, and Koh Samui in addition to Phuket under the so-called sandbox programme that won’t require them to go through quarantine, provided they spend at least a week in these destinations.