Thailand Drops Vaccination Entry Policy
Skift Take
- Thailand rescinded its entry policy which requires visitors to show proof of a Covid-19 vaccination, citing sufficient immunization levels in China and the rest of the world.
- Vietnamnet reported thousands of people lined up at the Mong Cai border gatesthis past weekend to cross into China. The main requirements to cross were removed on December 31.
- The first Marriott International property to open on the North side of Phu Quoc in Vietnam has launched.
Thailand rescinded its entry policy which requires visitors to show proof of a Covid-19 vaccination, citing sufficient immunization levels in China and the rest of the world. Thailand’s health minister said checking evidence of vaccinations was inconvenient and a panel of health experts recommended withdrawing the rule that had just been put into effect over the weekend, ahead of an expected deluge of visitors from China. China had been a crucial source for visitation pre-Covid and even without them, November visitation totaled 1.75 million, quadruple the number for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited. For full year 2022, the government expects arrivals to be more than 11.5 million. Pre-Covid, Thailand saw nearly 40 million travelers arrive, spending about 1.91 trillion baht. The government is now expecting seven to ten million Chinese visitors, up from the earlier five million estimate. The first flight from China arrived in Thail
