‘Thailand Reopening’ schemes see 27,000 arrivals, 1.6 billion baht in revenue
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported that 27,000 international tourists have visited Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox, Samui Plus, and 7+7 Extension programmes launched on July 1, July 15 and August 16 respectively.
Phuket Sandbox
Under the sandbox scheme, Phuket welcomed 26,400 visitors from July 1 to August 31, generating 1.63 billion baht in revenue.
The revenue comprised 565 million baht spent on accommodation, 376 million baht on shopping and tours, 350 million baht on food and beverage, 229 million baht on medical and health services, and 114 million baht on others. Each traveller spent an average of 61,894 baht per person.
The five largest source markets remained the US with 3,482 arrivals, followed by the UK with 3,351 arrivals, Israel with 2,909 arrivals, Germany with 2,092 arrivals, and France with 2,083 arrivals.
The 26,400 tourists, who were fully vaccinated and did not require quarantine, arrived using major airlines from key across the world. This included Thai Airways International from Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Paris, London, and Zurich; Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi; Qatar Airways from Doha; EL AL Israel Airlines from Tel Aviv; Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong; Emirates from Dubai, and Singapore Airlines from Singapore.
The arrivals generated 366,971 room nights at SHA Plus-certified hotels in Phuket – 190,843 nights in July and 176,128 nights in August, respectively. With 95,997 room nights booked for September, the three-month total stands at 462,968 room nights. Looking ahead, bookings between October and February 2022 stand at 24,947 room nights.
Travellers under the Phuket Sandbox scheme are required to stay at SHA Plus-certified hotels for their added safety. SHA Plus certification indicates a hotel meets measures required to curb Covid-19 and at least 70 per cent of the workforce has been fully vaccinated.
Alongside the necessary health and safety measures in place for international travellers, as of August 31, 92 per cent of Phuket’s population had received their first dose, while 75 per cent had received both doses.
Samui Plus
The Samui Plus programme was launched on July 15, under which tourists can visit Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao. To do this, they can either land on Samui or from August 16, can travel via Phuket after spending seven nights there. So far, 347 tourists have taken advantage of the second option.
From July 15 to August 31, the scheme has welcomed 918 tourists, with 6,329 room nights and 37.6 million baht in revenue. Most of these arrivals were from Europe and the US.
Bangkok Airways’ 92 sealed flights between Samui and Bangkok helped facilitate the programme. The airline also provided connecting flights between Phuket and Samui.
Until December 9, Samui Plus has recorded the booking of 9,195 room nights. These include 7,397 room nights booked by 591 visitors under Samui Plus and 1,788 room nights by 269 tourists under the Phuket Sandbox and 7+7 Extension.
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Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension
Launched on August 16, the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 Extension programme allows tourists to visit several destinations during their visit.
Under this scheme, travellers can spend their first seven nights in Phuket and the remaining seven in Krabi (Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai, or Railay Beach), in Phang-Nga (Khao Lak or Koh Yao), or in Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan, or Koh Tao).
From Phuket, Surat Thani’s Samui, Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao can be reached via Bangkok Airways’ direct flights from Phuket; Krabi’s Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai and Railay Beach can be reached by SHA Plus-certified boat and ferry services from approved piers; Phang-Nga’s Khao Lak can be reached by SHA Plus-certified car transfer services from Phuket, while Koh Yao Noi or Koh Yao Yai can be reached via SHA Plus-certified boat and ferry services from approved piers.
