Thailand Travel Updates

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced a provincial order to keep the entertainment venues, pubs, bars, karaoke shops, massage parlors, and similar establishments closed until January 15.

The move is in connection with the government’s actions to stop the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Previously, such establishments were allowed to function, especially during the holidays. Some bars, like on Khao San Road, require proof of vaccination or an antigen test result before allowing the people to enter.

A penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine of up to 100,000 baht will be given to the violators. They will also be charged under the nationwide emergency decree which has a penalty of up to two years in jail and a fine of up to 40,000 baht.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration will review its measures this January 2022.

With an aim of stepping up the tourism standards, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has launched the “Thailand Trusted Destination” campaign, a move that certifies attractions that meet the standards promoted by the ministry.

Venues and attractions will now have the campaign’s “dancing elephant logo”. The National News Bureau of Thailand reported that the campaign is introduced as an “incentive for business owners to improve their services and boost confidence among tourists. Participating venues will be granted the dancing elephant logo, which represents cleanliness, safety, fairness, good management, and green practices.”

As its first move, a group of business operators was brought by the Department of Tourism to Krabi to observe various attractions that had been certified as Thailand Trusted Destination venues.

Currently, certified locations include the Krabi International Airport (for cleanliness), Than Bok Khorani National Park (for tourist safety and environmental conservation), and Laemsak Community (for historical value and community-based tourism).

The list of certified locations and attractions can be viewed on Thailand Tourism Standard’s website, or on the Thailand Tourism Standard Facebook page.

As part of the efforts to revive the economy post-Covid-19, Thailand now offers a 10-year Thai visa for not only approved special visitors but also their spouses and children.

The move is an economic stimulus and investment promotion package to attract wealthy foreigners and highly skilled international professionals who will also get automatic work permits, the same rates of income tax as Thai citizens, tax exemption for income earned abroad, and ownership of properties and land.

“The government also expects these foreigners to spend on average a million baht per person per year while staying and working in Thailand, or about a trillion baht in the next five years in total,” government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.

This long-term visa scheme is targeted to four groups:

• Wealthy Global Citizens
• Wealthy Pensioners
• Work-from-Thailand Professionals
• Highly skilled Professionals

Such groups would be required to invest at least US$500,000 (16.5 million baht) in Thai government bonds in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) or in real estate, Thanakorn stated.

He added that the minimum income required for this group is US$80,000 per year for the past two years, while the required minimum value of assets owned is US$1 million and the minimum health insurance coverage required is US$100,000.

In 2003, Thailand started offering a Thai Elite Visa that aims to attract affluent visitors, businessmen, investors, and expats to stay in Thailand long-term. Additionally, Thai Elite Visa holders do not need to pay income taxes especially when the income was derived abroad. There are instances where a Thai Elite Visa holder may voluntarily pay income tax in Thailand.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that contrary to the news circulating that the last group of approved travelers would arrive on January 10, there is no travel cutoff date (for now) for those travelers with Thailand Pass approved for Thailand under the Test & Go or Sandbox entry schemes.

The confusion arose when Thailand suspended the new application for Thailand Pass except for the Alternative Quarantine System and Phuket Sandbox program. The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration will review the entry schemes and current regulations will be reviewed on January 4.

Just right after New Year’s Day, the Department of Medical Sciences reported that the Kingdom has already surpassed the 1000 mark of total Omicron infections.

Of the 1,551 tallied Omicron cases from November 1 to January 1, 779 of whom were foreigners, Dr. Supakit Sirila, the department’s director-general announced on January 2. He also added that for January 1 alone, 189 people tested positive for Omicron: 68 were foreigners and 121 were found locally.

Currently, Omicron cases have been found in 47 provinces nationwide with Bangkok (395), Kalasin (195), Chonburi (148), Phuket (125), and Roi Et (119) having the highest cases.

As of January 4, Thailand reported 3,091 new cases making the total number of infections to 2,206,713.

Due to the concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant, Thailand has temporarily suspended the new application of Thailand Pass under the Test & Go and Sandbox programs starting December 22 until January 4.

The move means that all international travelers planning to enter the Kingdom under the Test & Go and Sandbox schemes will not be able to register for a Thailand Pass. However, Phuket Sandbox is still open for tourists.

The Thailand Pass website states that “applicants who have registered but have not received their QR Code must wait for their Thailand Pass to be considered/approved. Once approved, they can enter Thailand under the scheme they have registered.”

In a press release, the Tourism Authority mentioned that approximately 200,000 visitors had applied to visit Thailand through the Test-and-Go and Sandbox programs, while about 110,000 of them had already arrived. The remaining 90,000 are still cleared for travel to Thailand without quarantine.

Before the Suspension

On November 1, Thailand introduced three schemes for inbound travelers:

• Test & Go (Quarantine-Free Entry)
• Sandbox (Relaxed Quarantine Rules for the fully vaccinated)
• Alternative Quarantine System (AQS). 

Travelers were previously allowed to register for a Thailand Pass based on their countries of origin and vaccination status. The reopening of the borders is part of Thailand’s action to slowly revive the tourism industry to boost the economy.

Changes to be Expected

Travelers approved for the Test & Go scheme and who arrive in the Kingdom from December 24 onwards must do a second RT-PCR test, shouldered by the government, on the 5th or 6th day at a government-approved medical facility.

Meanwhile, new travelers (except those participating in the Phuket Sandbox program) will be subject to a quarantine of seven to 10 days, depending on their country of origin.

The Thai government will review its suspension measures on January 4, 2022.

The Ministry of Health logged 104 Omicron cases so far while the first locally-transmitted infection was reported on December 20, 2022 in the government’s daily briefing.

Sumanee Wacharasin, hazard communications director of the Department of Disease Control, detailed that the first locally transmitted case was detected in a Thai woman who contacted Omicron from her Colombian husband who came to Thailand from Nigeria in late November.

Currently, travelers to Thailand coming from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are not allowed to enter the Kingdom.

The Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa in November. Currently, it is the dominant strain of new infections in the United States, with reports citing that it will be the dominant strain soon in Europe.