As long as they have all the required documents, a chief tourism official said Friday, foreign tourists willing to brave the global pandemic and spend a holiday in Thailand are still welcomed.
Governor Yuthasak Supasorn of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said. The visa program, or STV, is still available and is not, at least for the time being, subject to any additional restrictions.
"Yes, we are open to everyone," Yuthasak said over the phone. For foreigners travelling on a special visitor visa, the same requirements still apply. Although they are required to get tested and spend 14 days in quarantine, it is not related to the situation in our country.
He also said that the kingdom's second wave of coronavirus outbreak has did not affect the number of STV applicants so far.
Yuthasak said, "They keep coming in."
Foreigners from any country are allowed to visit under the special visa program
For up to 270 days in Thailand, however, they must agree to spend 14 nights in quarantine upon arrival and pay all the expenses involved, such as accommodation fees and medical insurance.
Other visas, such as the 45-day tourist visa waiver program and the regular tourist visa (TR), which allow people from countries without a visa waiver agreement with Thailand to stay for up to 90 days, can also travel into the country.
Yuthasak, however, said such visas are subject to the same requirements as the STV for quarantine.
The Cabinet approved the Special Tourist Visa back in September in hopes of rescuing the lucrative tourism industry in the country, which has suffered from the global epidemic.
At the time, the government said that STV will attract 1,200 visitors a month to the country and generate more than 1.2 billion baht in revenue.
But its initiative has so far fallen short of the lofty goal. Just 825 visitors from 29 countries entered the country via the STV program in the two months of November and December, according to the latest figure available, announced in December by government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek.
It depends on several factors in their home country and seasons, as well as the outbreak situation," Yuthasak said."
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