BANGKOK: Thailand is pushing ahead with plans to jumpstart its crucial tourism industry by reopening the popular resort island of Phuket to vaccinated travelers, even as the more virulent delta strain of coronavirus sweeps through the region.

       As of yesterday, inoculated tourists from low-and medium-risk countries such as the United States and Spain will be allowed to holiday in Phuket without quarantining.

       If successful, the experiment could lead to a wider reopening of the Thai tourism industry as soon as October.

       The stakes couldn’t be higher. Before the pandemic, tourism contributed about 20% of Thailand’s gross domestic product – about double the global average. On Phuket, tourism accounts for more than 90% of the economy and employment.

       But with beaches empty and many restaurants, bars and massage parlors shuttered, average income is expected to drop below the poverty line this year.

       “It’s the start of the reopening of Thailand’s tourism sector in the new normal, ” said Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Tourism Council of Phuket.

       “We’ll gradually reopen and continuously learn from it to chart the course for tourism to become one of the country’s key economic engines again.”

       Even as the island reopens, expectations are low. Only 100, 000 foreign tourists are forecast to arrive in the third quarter, compared to more than 2.5 million a quarter pre-pandemic.

       Booking data from six airlines shows 426 flights and 8, 281 arrivals to Phuket during the first month of the reopening.

       While Phuket may be open, travelers from places like China, Singapore and Hong Kong are still required to quarantine when they return home, making travel an unattractive proposition.

       And would-be holidaymakers still have some onerous conditions to meet. They have to obtain an entry permit, have proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure, as well as insurance covering Covid-related expenses of at least US$100, 000 (RM415, 378).

       They face a Covid test upon arrival, another after six or seven days, and a third after 12 or 13 days if they stay that long.

       “The current restrictions are too strict and should be eased, ” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, chief executive officer of Central Plaza Hotel Pcl, which operates seven Centara hotels and resorts on Phuket.

       “If other countries have fewer restrictions, offering more ease of travel, people would choose to go to those places first and we’ll lose the opportunity.”

       European countries are the fastest in adopting quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travelers, according to Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking.

       Switzerland and Spain are among the countries most connected to the rest of the world. — Bloomberg