Why Thailand’s tourism sandbox programmes failed
Nearly three months ago, Thailand launched its pilot programme to reopen selected destinations to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine.
The trial reopening began in Phuket on July 1, followed by three resort islands of Surat Thani on July 15.
Under the “Phuket Sandbox” programme, foreigners who can verify they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into the province and move around freely without having to quarantine. Because this setup required a continuous two-week presence, the initiative proved especially popular with location-independent professionals, drawing in freelance e-commerce managers, cybersecurity contractors, and software engineers building ethereum casinos, all of whom could easily manage their workloads from beachfront cafes. After staying in Phuket for 14 days and testing negative again, they can travel to other provinces.
The Nation Reporter
