Thailand looks to allow entry to some foreigners, including medical tourists from China
- Thailand intends to open its borders to 50,000 visitors, including medical and wellness tourists, under a scheme that includes a 14-day quarantine
- The country’s medical tourism industry is ranked fourth in the world for value, and has attracted an increasing number of Chinese, especially for IVF
Thailand has banned international flights since April but intends to permit 50,000 foreigners, including those with work permits, residency and families in the country, through its borders under a scheme that would include 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival.
About 30,000 of these foreigners would be medical and wellness tourists such as those seeking cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment, said Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Business visitors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, mainland China and Hong Kong could also be exempted from a two-week quarantine period under a fast track entry if they have certificates to show they were free from Covid-19 and were tested upon arrival.
The head of Thailand’s national tourism agency Yuthasak Supasorn said the details were dependent on the length of the visitors’ stay. The place and duration of their quarantine, and their health insurance and tracking system, would also have to be declared.
