Thailand will shorten its quarantine period for foreign travellers with COVID-19 vaccination certificates from 14 to 10 days from April 1, to foster tourism.

Visitors pass the Reclining Buddha at the temple Wat Pho in Bangkok. (Photo: asia.nikkei.com)

However, travellers from 11 countries where the South African variant of coronavirus is prevalent will still have to undergo the full 14-day quarantine period. The countries include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana and Tanzania.

While undergoing quarantine, tourists will be allowed to engage in leisure activities subject to time and conditions granted by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, namely exercising in the fitness room, outdoor exercising, swimming, bicycling within a controlled area, and ordering goods and food from outside.

For non-Thai nationals, a medical certificate with a laboratory result using the RT-PCR method is still required, which is issued no more than 72 hours before departure.

Foreign holidaymakers who carry proof of their vaccination against COVID-19 will be permitted to visit six tourism provinces of Phuket, Krabi, Chon Buri (Pattaya), Chiang Mai, Phang Nga and Surat Thani. Their mandatory quarantine period is being reduced to 7 days.

In July, Phuket is planning to be the first province to waive the quarantine requirement altogether, for international visitors who have been vaccinated.

Thailand's tourism industry has been seriously affected by COVID-19. Last year, foreign visitor numbers plunged 83 percent from nearly 40 million in 2019 to just 6.7 million. The state planning agency predicts 3 million arrivals this year.

Source: VNA