For the first time since March 2020, travelers will be able to visit Phuket without being quarantined beginning July 1. Thailand’s largest island has reopened to vaccinated passengers willing to adhere by a laundry list of regulations aimed to safely relaunch tourism amid the pandemic, as part of the much-discussed “sandbox” experimental project. The plan is based on a coordinated vaccination push to immunize 70% of Phuket’s population, a goal that local officials stated was met earlier this month when 74 percent of inhabitants were vaccinated. Local media have questioned this figure, which contrasts sharply with Thailand’s overall immunization rate of roughly 4%. However, confirmed Covid instances have dropped substantially in Phuket. This week, the island had single-digit daily cases, while Thailand as a whole saw its third-highest daily case total of 5,406 infections on June 27. The “sandbox” proposal turns Phuket into a test bed for measures that, if successful, will likely be implemented in other parts of Thailand this year, as well as possibly other Southeast Asian hotspots. A test of travelers’ willingness to follow guidelines However, Phuket, like the rest of Southeast Asia, makes it difficult for tourists to enter. To prevent quarantining in Phuket, travelers must provide the following documents, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): A vaccination certificate issued by the World Health Organization or Thai health authorities, administered at least 14 days prior to arrival; accompanying minors are permitted. A RT-PCR test that is negative (taken within 72 hours of departure) A medical insurance policy that covers the stay for at least $100,000 is required. To enter, you’ll need a certificate called a Certificate of Entry. Travelers must additionally provide confirmed departure flights out of Thailand if staying less than two weeks and must show proof of payment for a 14-night stay and appropriate Covid tests. Proof that travelers spent the previous 21 days in a low-risk or medium-risk nation listed on Thailand’s Department of Disease Control’s website, which is primarily in Thai. Thailand’s list includes the following nations and territories. Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, UAE, UK, US TAT; last updated June 29; list is not exhaustive. Travelers must undergo a health test and download the ThailandPlus tracking program upon arrival. They must also do a Covid-19 test, pay for it, and wait for the results at their hotel. Additional tests are required on travel days 6 and 7, as well as on days 12 and 13 for those staying longer. According to the tourism authority’s website, those who test negative can freely travel around Phuket and, after 14 days, to other parts of Thailand, as long as they observe social separation, submit to temperature checks, and wear masks. In public places, such as the beach, and in automobiles, masks are mandatory. Tourists in Phuket are encouraged, but not required, to patronize “SHA+” eateries and taxis. Pakin Songmor | Getty Images | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Song Tourists must pay in advance and stay in hotels or homestays that have been approved as “SHA+,” indicating that they have met Safety and Health Administration requirements and have vaccinated more than 70% of their personnel. According to TAT’s website, anyone who tests positive “shall be referred to specified health-care facilities for medical treatment at their own expense.” More visitors than Rome in brighter times According to Euromonitor International’s “Top 100 City Destinations” study, Phuket was the 15th most visited city in the world in 2019, with approximately 11 million visitors. Sandwiched between Mumbai (No. 14) and Rome (No. 16), the island and its estimated 420,000 residents outperformed their worldwide counterparts on the list, which includes foreign visitors but excludes domestic visitors, day-trippers, and cruise passengers. Phuket’s reopening will be eagerly anticipated by the whole vacation sector. Trip.com Regional Director Jade Chandhakant Despite its popularity, the reopening of Phuket is likely to be low-key. Covid outbreaks in Thailand in the spring, along with muddled timetables, regulation modifications, and a last-minute governmental approval for the “sandbox” program last week, may have deterred summer visitors who have undoubtedly made other plans by now. There is a preference for local travel and a persistent reluctance to flying among countries where summer travel is returning, notably on the types of long-haul flights required to reach Thailand from the United States or Europe. Thailand’s neighbors are unlikely to pack their belongings. In Southeast Asia, where rigorous quarantines and sluggish vaccination programs have all but eliminated summer travel hopes, tourism has yet to resume in earnest. Tourists who have not been vaccinated are allowed to visit Phuket, but they must stay in specified hotels for 14 nights. Getty Images | Pone Pluck | Moment That’s bad news for Thailand, because the United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that approximately 72 percent of Thailand’s overnight tourists in 2019 were from Asia. Nearly a quarter of all visitors to Thailand come from China, which does not yet allow its citizens to travel freely for leisure tourism. According to the Bangkok Post, 1,500 visitors are expected to arrive in Phuket, a far cry from the daily average of 25,000 tourists it was receiving before the outbreak. But it’s a start, and Thai officials intend to reproduce it in other regions in the near future. What’s coming up next? Phuket isn’t Thailand’s only “sandbox” in the works, with its sugary beaches and boisterous nightlife. Under a similar plan, the islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao will reopen to vaccinated travelers on July 15. The cultural enclave of Chiang Mai, a city in the country’s north, could be next. According to Jade Chandhakant, regional head of booking service Trip.com for Thailand and Vietnam, if Thailand’s sandbox plan succeeds, other countries may follow suit. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways operate direct flights to Phuket. Pakin Songmor | Getty Images | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Songmor | Pakin Song “The entire travel industry will be looking forward to Phuket’s reopening,” he said. “We hope that the reopening of Phuket will be the first of many more’sandboxes,’ and that this will be a safe method to recommence leisure travel in Southeast Asia.” Thailand, on the other hand, may be pressing for reopening regardless of the outcome. In a speech on June 16, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha stated that he intends to open all of Thailand by mid-October. Thailand “cannot wait to open the country until everyone is fully vaccinated with two doses, or until the world is devoid of the virus,” he stated. “I understand that this decision carries some danger because, no matter how thorough our preparations are, there will be an increase in illnesses if we open the nation,” he said. “Now is the time to take that measured risk,” says the author./nRead More