Thailand Rescinds COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Foreign Travelers Moments After Announcing It

Officials feared the requirement would stifle tourism

Tourists who arrive at Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport in Thailand have their temperatures checked on Jan. 25, 2020. Panumas Sanguanwong/Reuters

Thailand’s government on Monday reversed its recent decision requiring foreign travelers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination amid concerns that it could threaten the recovery of its tourism industry.

The Thai government initially announced on Thursday that it would reinstate the requirement for foreign travelers to show proof of vaccination as part of measures to safeguard against COVID-19 after China reopened its borders.

The Phuket Tourist Association argued that the entry rule, which was initially scheduled to take effect on Monday, could affect the tourism recovery, given that China was Thailand’s biggest source of tourists before the COVID-19 pandemic. The tourist association urged the government to review the new rule.

The vaccination requirement was originally scrapped in October, but the government feared that China’s recent reopening of its border might lead to a new strain of the virus spreading in Thailand.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government’s expert panel had deemed the vaccination requirement unnecessary, citing sufficient immunization levels globally.

“Showing proof of vaccination would be cumbersome and inconvenient, and so the group’s decision is that it is unnecessary,” Charnvirakul told reporters on Monday.

However, he said that foreign travelers returning to a country that requires a negative PCR test will still be required to show proof of health insurance to cover treatment costs in Thailand.

Other countries—including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia—imposed PCR testing requirements for all arrivals from China after the Chinese Communist Party eased its zero-COVID policy. Morocco has banned all travelers arriving from China.

Thailand Expects Influx of Chinese Tourists

Chinese tourists accounted for 28 percent of all visitors to Thailand before the pandemic. Thailand expects about 5 million Chinese arrivals in 2023, which will bring the total number of foreign tourists to at least 25 million, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

“About 60,000 Chinese tourists will visit Thailand in January, with another 90,000 in February and 150,000 in March,” Thanes Phetsuwan, TAT deputy marketing governor for Asia-Pacific, told The Nation Thailand.

Charnvirakul said the first flight from China arrived in Thailand on Monday. Officials expect nearly 3,500 visitors on the first day.

The Thai government anticipates the nation’s tourism-dependent economy will improve as a result of “a larger-than-expected number of foreign tourist arrivals” following the easing of international travel restrictions and an improvement in travel sentiment last year.

The CCP abruptly abandoned its draconian zero-COVID policy in December as COVID-19 cases surged and mass protests were mounting against the harsh restrictions on life in China.

Reuters contributed to this report.