Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists after 18 months of COVID-19 restrictions

Thailand has reopened to vaccinated visitors from 63 countries and territories after 18 months of COVID-19 restrictions. Bangkok and Phuket have welcomed the first wave of travellers who will not have to serve a lengthy quarantine. However, there is still a lot of red tape and paperwork to be done: Passengers have to apply for an entry permit, show they are fully vaccinated, have a negative test and insurance policies. Officials are expecting about one million visitors to arrive between now and March 2022 -- a far cry from the record 39 million Thailand welcomed before the pandemic in 2019.