Middle East tourists face obstaclesA man stands near health workers at the Phuket airport as the island reopens to vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine on July 1. Thailand’s attempt to attract more visitors from the Middle East is being undermined by a complicated certificate of entry (COE) application process and relatively costly Covid-19 tests, says the Dubai office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). "Feedback from tourists about the Phuket sandbox is positive, but applying for the COE and expensive RT-PCR tests remain obstacles," said Chaiwat Tamthai, director of the TAT's Dubai office. Mr Chaiwat said Phuket welcomed 5,000 tourists from the Middle East in the first month of the sandbox programme, before dropping to 2,000 in August due to stricter regulations and the start of a new school semester in the Middle East. Mr Chaiwat said if Thailand maintains the same travel conditions, the number of tourists from the Middle East should reach 20,000 in the final quarter.

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2021 01:41 UTC