As Thailand opens borders, tourists start flowing in

The streets of Bangkok are buzzing with start-stop traffic and thronging crowds as Thailand rounds off its first week of relaxed border controls that waive quarantine for travellers from more than 60 countries and territories.

Tourist attractions, merchants and restaurants that had been shuttered for a good part of the year are now cracking open their doors again, cautiously optimistic for a revival in a sector that in 2019 brought in more than 1.91 trillion baht (S$77.6 billion).

The nation’s reopening on Nov 1 and Bangkok’s hot weather lured sports teacher Christian Schubert, 40, to escape the chill of Germany’s autumn.

“The world has waited long enough for Covid-19 to be under control, and I feel like it’s finally time to travel,” said Mr Schubert, who was wandering in the complex of Bangkok’s Grand Palace barely…