Signs of hope for Phuket’s Sandbox

A wander along the sands of Kata Beach in early June is always a pleasant experience. Well unless it’s bucketing down, this is monsoon time after all. In a normal year, the low season lasts until October, bringing a respite of calm and a quieter beach, which the locals are grateful for.

You can’t help but smile at the surfers out there just doing their thing, enjoying the waves. You absolutely could be forgiven for thinking that this is perfect just the way it is.

Until you know that here in Phuket low season has lasted over a year, starting when Phuket International Airport closed in March 2020 as the pandemic gripped the world.

A lot is riding on the proposed Phuket Tourism Sandbox recovery plan. The locals would give anything for their beaches to be busy, their bars to be buzzing, and the hotels full. (UPDATED 18 June)

See end for all the useful Phuket links needed.

Waikiki this might not be, but we have loved every minute of every wander on Kata Beach since we first arrived at the beginning of 2021. Those that stop to linger before diving headlong into the swell, will sense that change is afoot.

The Kata streets are still eerily quiet, although a few restaurants have recently dusted off their menus to reopen on July 1st and we are happy to see that the massage and spas can reopen. Sadly, however, as Phuket prepares to open up, and with interprovincial travel discouraged, more hotels than ever, like The Boathouse, have finally succumbed and temporarily closed for the month of June.

If you head to the beach, you will find new signs up, sun loungers and street art have appeared, and it’s all action!

And I’m not just talking about the surfers…

#Phuket1July

Phuket is readying itself to welcome back international tourists as an immunity island and entice overseas visitors to its shores. 

All the signs are that Phuket’s ambitious reopening plans, the first in Thailand, are breathing life into the place. It’s bringing a cautious hope and let’s face it this island needs it.

A lot is at stake here in Phuket, not just for the local economy. The Phuket Sandbox is being touted as a model for the reopening of Thailand’s tourism industry. Here 85% of Phuket’s population relies in some form on tourism income. Oh, how we need people to be staying in these gorgeous hotels and eating at these beautiful restaurants.

The Boathouse, Kata Phuket

Phuket’s popularity

For years Phuket has been one of the most popular holiday destinations in the country. In 2019 Phuket welcomed 14.4 million tourists, of these over 10 million were international visitors.

To attract top foreign markets Phuket developed world-class facilities.  Such was their success, that in the past thirty years, some would say the island became overrun.

Covid has enabled the inherent beauty of the place to resurface. This return to nature has been appreciated, We have certainly loved having the beaches of Phuket all to ourselves but the time is right to reopen and share again with the world. 

What is the “Phuket Tourism Sandbox?”

Starting from July 1, Phuket will waive quarantine requirements for foreign tourists who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 under the planned “Phuket Tourism Sandbox” model.

As far as I can see everyone is beavering away working out the finer details! One of the best sites for updated information is the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s UK Fan Club. See: Phuket paves the way to reopening Thailand without quarantine.

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Phuket Sandbox at a glance

 

• Applicable for international travellers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no less than 14 days, but no later than 1 year before the travel date. They must also be from countries/regions with a low to medium risk of SAR-CoV-2 virus as announced and constantly updated by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

 

• Vaccinated international arrivals must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine registered with the MoPH or approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 

• All arrivals are required to download and install the ThailandPlus application on their smartphones and must keep the app on all the time, as they move to different locations around Phuket.  UPDATE :Bangkok Post: “While staying in Phuket during the mandatory 14-day period, their precise locations will be tracked via the global positioning system (GPS) feature on an English version of Mor Chana, as well as a location-tracking wristband.

 

• All arrivals are required to stay in an accommodation establishment that is certified with the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) Plus certification for no less than 14 nights, and thereafter will be allowed to travel to visit other Thai destinations.

 

• Travellers are allowed to engage in any tourism activities but are advised to strictly follow the DMHTTA precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19: D – Distancing, M – Mask wearing, H – Handwashing, T – Temperature check, T – Testing for COVID-19, and A – contact tracing application (Thai Chana and Mor Chana).

More here:  TAT Newsroom: Initial information Phuket Sandbox

Check here for a full list of Phuket hotels we have enjoyed over the last few months.

To see what the hotels are saying check out Twin Palms blog on Phuket’s Reopening here

Arriving in Phuket

Direct flight to Phuket

The airlines are playing their part with seven airlines resuming direct flights to and from Phuket early in July, namely Thai Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, El Al, British Airways, and Air France.

The Banyan Tree Phuket

An island vaccinated

The plan and the race is on, to have 70% of the island population vaccinated before opening. Priority has been given to Thais in key jobs, which includes those in hospitality. Some foreign workers in hospitality were recently been included, but overseas retirees living on the island with medical conditions are still waiting for jab dates.

It is not lost on some of us that a twenty-something bartender from Bangtao gets his jab ahead of Brian from Newcastle with diabetes and a 10-year Thai retirement visa under his belt. Such are the perks of the job of a key front-line worker in Phuket!

Update 1 from Phuket news 14 June: 

‘The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) has reported that as of yesterday (June 13) 73% of the target 466,587 people in Phuket to be vaccinated have received at least one vaccination injection.

Of note, only 397,971 so far have registered to receive a state-provided vaccination under the national mass-vaccination campaign’.

Update 2 from Phuket news 21 June:

The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) has reported that as of yesterday (June 18) 75% of the target 466,587 people in Phuket to be vaccinated have received at least one vaccination injection.

I am happy also to note that some of my Expat friends on retirement visas on the island have dates for their AZ vaccinations before the end of June.

Phuket news reports: PR Phuket this morning reported that as of Monday (June 7), about 67% of the target 466,587 of Phuket’s population had been injected with a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 98,949 had received their second shot.

The mass vaccine on offer in Phuket has been the Chinese SinoVac vaccine, with its low 51% efficacy rate but the advantage is that it is available here and the two jabs are administered 3 weeks apart.

Surfboards waiting for the tourists to return Kata Beach

The Phuket sandbox plans

No country is finding it easy navigating the unknown path of Covid. Thailand having done well initially on the global stage with its strict border closures – give or take some illegal migrant arrivals by land – has been responsive to ever-changing conditions. The change from a 7-day quarantine for arrivals back to 14 days in May is a good example.

The process for Government approval takes time and sure as eggs is eggs, plans for the Phuket Sandbox will evolve continually.

Be Aware

You should be aware that whilst the island wants the Sandbox, there is a high level of nervousness amongst islanders as to how it will work.

You will be expected to wear a mask outside and you will have your temperature taken regularly!

Don Limnanthapisit, President of the Phuket Old Town Association is quoted in Bangkok Post warning that the reopening may lead to a new surge of infections.

“Though foreign tourists will be required to show proof of vaccination this does not mean they are totally free of the virus,”

Who will come? 

The plan aims to attract tourists from Europe and the United States first, with the target of welcoming 129,000 visitors. Much is being made of a CCN camera crew arriving with 20 American tourists. Expect to see photos of them enjoying life here the world over!

However, after some initial euphoria when Phuket 1 October changed to Phuket 1 July, realism is setting in, with talks of a major reopening fading. It is obvious that with current Covid-19 restrictions in 30 of the 38 countries of Thailand’s top overseas visitors, who are operating some form of quarantine on return home, that Phuket, however amazing, may not be a destination of choice right now.

Usually, in July, it’s the Aussies and Kiwis who arrive to escape their winters back home, but there is no possibility for these countries to travel at present.

With the expectation that most Europeans are likely to remain in Europe. the top target countries are initially seen as Russia, Scandinavia, and America.

Chill at Kata Rocks

A soft opening is good 

In my view, don’t jump up and down and say it was a failure if those airplanes are not packed from 1st July. Honestly, a soft opening will be great for Phuket. it gives everyone a chance to gear up for the tourist returns.

Hotels have to get used to having guests again, restaurants have to serve up multiple meals after a year of business being slack. Foreign language skills need to be remembered. Some hotels will be opening their rooms for the first time in months, does the wifi, air-con, and plumbing still work? Tour guides will be working for the first time in over a year… The operational and logistical requirements of reopening are huge.

Yes, 20 guests from America and a CCN TV crew could be just perfect to start with!

And when they arrive let’s all cheer them for leading the way and bringing hope to an island.

Yoga Kata Rocks

BE ZEN ABOUT THIS!

This is a fluid situation. Phuket is trying to deliver this while other parts of Thailand are grappling with a third wave. Plans are developing, daily updates and changes are to be expected.

For those planning a holiday in Thailand can you take the punt? If you are prepared to take a risk that things may not work out quite as planned. If you arrive with a pioneering spirit and are happy amassing all the Phuket arrival paperwork and documentation…  Then the chances are, that you will be walking on a glorious beach in Phuket after July 1st, saying it was definitely worth it.

I do hope so, and when I meet you on the beach, I will be the first to say ‘nice to meet you. Welcome to Thailand!’

5 Star Marine with a 5-star sunset

For further information:

Little Wandering Wren : How to chose a SHA+ Hotel you will love

For all updates on the Phuket Tourism Sandbox check out:

• TAT Newsroom: Initial information Phuket Sandbox
• Thai Embassy Covid-19 Guide for travellers 
• Facebook Group: Phuket Sandbox  Better Thailand by I Asia Thailand
• News updates and forums ThaiVisa
• Twitter Richard Barrow and Thai News reports
• Little Wandering Wren Phuket Staycations
• The Phuket News: Subscribe for daily updates here
• The Phuket News: Phuket Opinion: Fingers crossed for July 1