Just in time for the Hindu festival of lights Diwali in November, an important holiday season in India, Thailand now wants to lure numerous holidaymakers from there to its beaches, the newspaper “Bangkok Post” quoted the Vice President of the national tourism authority, Somsong Sachaphimukh, on Wednesday.
From November 1, fully vaccinated people may be able to travel to Thailand again quarantine-free – according to the government’s plan. “If many of our tourism centers are to reopen in November, this year’s Diwali could be a great opportunity,” said Somsong. “Indian travelers have a lot of purchasing power and a lot of potential.” The highlight of this year’s Festival of Lights is on November 4th.
In 2019, two million Indians had traveled to Thailand. More tourists came only from China and Malaysia. However, both countries have largely closed their borders because of the pandemic.
The entry rules in Thailand will already be relaxed this Friday: Fully vaccinated people only have to be in hotel quarantine for seven days instead of the previous 14 days. A ten-day quarantine period applies to non-vaccinated visitors. The corona numbers in the Southeast Asian holiday country have recently fallen slowly but steadily. The largest islands of Phuket and Ko Samui have been trying to restart this important tourism branch thanks to special projects since July.