The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reiterates that both the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes are going ahead as usual, and the plans to reopen Krabi and Phang Nga to fully vaccinated international tourists are set to start within August.
Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga are declared among the 11 Controlled Areas or orange zone provinces in Thailand’s expansion of the COVID-19 restrictions.
Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, Spokesperson of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said the Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had been keeping a close watch on the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus programmes, and voiced confidence in the plans to revive the economy through tourism by gradually reopening destinations that could ensure the health and safety of both the tourists and local people.
Krabi and Phang Nga are scheduled to reopen selected areas within this month under a 7+7 model. This will allow foreign tourists under the Sandbox programme to reduce the mandatory stay in Phuket from 14 to 7 days, after which another 7 nights can be spent in Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai, and Railay Beach), and Phang Nga (Khao Lak and Ko Yao).
The 7+7 model aims to provide international tourists with more options to visit multiple destinations during their trip to Thailand. Krabi and Phang Nga are ideal for this given their proximity to and ease of access from Phuket.
Phang Nga, Khao Lak can be reached within 1.5 hours by car, while Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai can be reached within 30-40 minutes by boat from Bang Rong Pier. Krabi, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai and Railay Beach can be reached within 45-55 minutes from Rassada Pier.
TAT would like to remind all travellers to continue with D-M-H-T-T-A (D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, T – Testing for COVID-19, and A – alert application) precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
