Thailand redoubles golf tourism efforts
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a new initiative to boost visitor numbers and encourage golf holidays in the wake of the pandemic.
The country will reopen to vaccinated international travellers on 1st July 2021, with tourists having to stay on the island of Phuket for at least seven days before visiting other areas of Thailand or returning home.
Entry is dependent on a negative PCR Covid test prior to arrival, but once in Phuket visitors are free to go where they please, as long as any tour, excursion or golf round is operated by a SHA-certified tour operator (Amazing Thailand Health and Safety Administration).
The move follows efforts earlier this year to reintroduce tourism through golf. Authorities designated six resorts where foreign visitors could spend their two-week quarantine, freely moving around and playing golf rather than isolating in their rooms.
- Thailand turns to golf to reopen tourism
- Rethinking Golf: How to reset golf for the new normal
- Sustainability drive in Asia-Pacific
Phuket’s resorts have embraced the latest initiative, with special quarantine packages being offered to golf travellers.
Thailand relies heavily on inbound tourism, with nearly 40 million visitors in 2019 and around half a million of those travelling for golf.
By the beginning of next month, 70 percent of the population of Phuket will have been fully vaccinated.
