Thailand Drops Test Requirements Just as It Plans to Woo Indian Tourists
Photo Credit: Thailand relaxes entry restrictions from May 1. Pixabay / Regina Ajes
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After a great deal of will they or won't they, Thailand has finally decided to simplify travel for visitors. But in the absence of some of its most important source markets, like China and Russia, the country has its sights set on Indian tourists.
Thailand will scrap its "Test and Go" requirement for vaccinated travelers from May 1, a further loosening of travel requirements as it aims to re-energize its tourism economy that once ranked as the strongest in Southeast Asia.
It isn't dropping all rules, however. Visitors will still be required to register for a "Thailand Pass" but the medical insurance policy coverage has now been reduced from $20,000 to $10,000.
Determined as it is to remove travel requirements that act as deterrents, Thailand is keen to woo the Indian travelers — one of its biggest source markets. In 2019, almost two million Indian tourists visited the kingdom, generating $2.5 billion in revenue.
All countries in Southeast Asia will be chasing the same source markets now, and India is the primary target, said Gary Bowerman, director of Check-in Asia, an Asia-focused travel intelligence and research firm.
“It would be important to secure sufficient air services and frequencies from the metro cities and second-tier Indian cities — which is something Singapore, for example, worked successfully to achieve before the pandemic,” Bowerman said.
In sync with the "Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters" mar
