Thailand travels: Here’s what you need to know

Phuket paradise. Photo: Dimitri / pexels

In a recent update, Thailand will now allow quarantine-free travel for fully vaxxed travellers starting 1 February.

According to Travelnews, from 1 February, fully vaccinated travellers worldwide can now apply for a pass called TEST & GO Thailand. This pass will allow travel to all parts of Thailand without quarantine on arrival.

Thailand TEST & GO requirements

Certain requirements are still mandatory, however. Here’s what you need to know:

For days one and five of their stay, travellers will have to book their accommodation on www.thailandsha.c om. This can be at two different hotels.
A minimum coverage of US$50 000 (R757 400) health insurance is mandatory.
Travellers will have to obtain the Thailand Pass at least 60 days prior to departure (see here) as well as have the MorChana mobile app installed.
Upon arrival, travellers will need to show proof of vaccination along with a negative PCR test result issued within 72 hours before their departure.
Travellers must then have another PCR test done at Phuket International Airport and thereafter await the result at their SHA++ hotel.
After a negative result is received, travellers are then free to travel around the country.
On day five, travellers must return to their SHA++ hotel and take a second PCR test, and then wait there for a result.
The second negative result must then be logged on the MorChana app and shown to hotel staff in order for the traveller to leave the hotel and continue travelling throughout Thailand.

Extra Tourist fee

Thailand will also require an additional THB300 (R140) fee from foreign tourists starting in April. This fee will be added on to airline tickets. Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters that this fee will be used to “take care of tourists”.

“We’ve encountered times when insurance didn’t have coverage for tourists… which became our burden to take care of them,”

He also added that collectively, these fees will be used to upgrade tourism infrastructure in the country.

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Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.